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You just got a new Maltese puppy and you would like it to do more than bark and pee all over the place. Perhaps you have finally decided to show your Maltese that YOU are the leader of the pack, or maybe you don’t have a Maltese yet, but are considering it.
Maltese are a fun breed, but keep in mind that while all dogs are trainable, Maltese are more susceptible to certain types of training.
1. MALTESE BEHAVIOR
To train your Maltese, you must think like your Maltese. We like to believe they are “furry people”, but they are in fact DOGS. Dogs do not understand verbal language. They do not understand why it is ok to bark at an intruder but not Aunt Tilly. Here are some ways you can think like your Maltese:
Leader of the Pack
All dogs are actually descendents of the wolf. While they cuddle with us and make us and learn to obey commands, they still have those wild characteristics: sharp eyes, a keen sense of smell, and most importantly, their need to be in a pack. To your Maltese, you and everyone else in your household are in his/her pack. No matter how large or small this pack is, there can only be ONE LEADER (the alpha dog). Your Maltese, however, doesn’t want to be the leader! NO DOG does! It makes them feel safe and secure to have YOU in charge. If you are a big marshmallow and have a problem in the discipline area, your Maltese will step in and discipline you.
So think like a pack leader, like the powerful alpha dog – the boss that has the respect of the rest of the pack.
How to Be the Alpha Dog
To successfully train your Maltese, always be firm and consistent. This will show him that he can’t get away with everything, even if he is so darn cute! You must always “out rank” your Maltese. If at any time you fear that the ranking table has been turned, DO NOT GIVE UP! Do not let him run away with the squeaky toy…grab it and put it up high. Do not let him take your seat on the sofa. Toss him off. Other tactics include taking his/her seat on the sofa, eating in front of him/her before they get fed, and growling back, fiercely, if your Maltese growls at you.
Maltese Puppies
If you have a puppy, make sure you begin training him as soon as possible. This will reinforce his/her natural tendency to depend on the pack leader.
The Mature Maltese
If you own an older Maltese, don’t believe “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” While it’s true that older dogs come with set tendencies, they will obey your commands if you make it worth their while to do so, so don’t fall for that old lie.
Do Not Abuse
You should NEVER yell at or hit your dog, no matter how frustrating training can get. This will only make your Maltese nervous and untrusting.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement through repetition and praise is effective in training anyone – your Maltese, your children, your husband, etc. All habits, good and bad are formed when an action is repeated over and over again with consistency. So during the process of training your Maltese (or husband), don’t give up until he’s got it. Even when you think your Maltese has mastered your commands, test him/her on it occasionally to make sure he still has it!

Gina Hobbs is a Professional Dog Lover and lives by the mantra “Life is Better With Furry Friends!” For More In-Depth Training Habits Specialized for your Maltese

Food for your pet is the most important thing to maintain a healthy life. Not all animals have the same digestive system, and feeding your pet the wrong food can be disastrous. The ingredients and the balance of the minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates for your pet is one of the most important things to maintain its health and well-being. For such matters one might depend on specially processed food for pets, rather than giving the pet the food that was leftover from your dinner.

However, nowadays there is a great debate on the topic of organic food for pets, including foods that contain chickens, hormone-free lamb, and insecticide-free crops. Nonetheless, there is a great confusion regarding these kinds of food for pets. Many people are under the assumption that anything which is organic in nature is superior. These organic foods might taste better than other pet foods. The US government is in a great dilemma regarding the issue of organic food. The usual ingredients that should be in food for your pets should be rich in folic acid, all the vitamin supplements, ascorbic acid and other such ingredients.

In order to store your pets’ food, you need proper storage material to sustain freshness. Pet food storage boxes are ideal for the purpose. These are available from the pet suppliers who cater your needs. Discount pet foods provide you with excellent opportunities to buy quality food for your pet at affordable prices. Discounts on food prices give you the opportunity to buy more quality food products for your pet, in order to maintain its health.

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Every month I am approached by dog owners of my breed who complain about how poorly behaved, how sickly, how untrainable, and generally my breed is and how deeply they resented spending money on this breed. I listen patiently, but time taught me not to defend ‘good’ breeders, or explain to the angry owners how their own ignorance cuased them to become victimized.

There are many myths that abound in the dog world. Unfortunately, each allows unscrupulous breeders to take advantage of eager, prospective, puppy buyers.

Here are some of the most common myths:

Registered dogs are good quality. Even puppy mills register their puppies and get the papers.

If the parents have papers, the puppy is a good one. Wrong. Actually, if the parent’s papers do not have a blue boarder, then the puppy’s parent is registered as “Not good enough for breeding.” In many cases, these breeders show the parent’s papers to prospective buyers, but explain that the litter is not registered in an attempt to save money. This is a lie. They didn’t register the litter because the puppies are not purebred, and unregisterable. It takes less than $25.00 to register a puppy.

“You don’t need to take breeding stock to ‘dog shows,’ because it is all political.” Sorry, but I hate hearing this one from hobby breeders. I have been in the dog world for more than 20 years and have shown more than 4 breeds. Yes, when it comes to the BIG shows, or the Best In Show wins, there are politics involved. But, when it comes to getting the LOWEST award a dog can get (which is becoming a champion) there is little to prevent any breeder from showing and winning – unless they know their dogs are not good quality. All the title of champion means is that more than one judge considers the dog is good enough for breeding.

Poor quality parents = poor quality puppies. Many people believe they only need two purebred parents to produce good quality puppies. This is not true. Many hereditary diseases, like joint problems, are avoided by good breeders who understand bloodlines and structure. If the breeder thinks they can breed different body types together, and get consistently healthy puppies, they shouldn’t be breeding.

If both parents are champions, the puppies are good. Again, buyer beware. It is relatively easy to make a good dog a champion. Hobby and unscrupulous breeders know this, so they finish one or two dogs (not most of them), and then con new buyers into believing that ‘championship’ is the pinnacle of a dog’s career, instead of the lowest award it can achieve.

So, how can you protect yourself? Here are some helpful hints that will help you avoid ending up with a puppy you cannot live with.

Visit at least 10 breeders, before looking at a puppy.

Never let a breeder put a puppy in your hands, or tell you it will be gone tomorrow if you don’t buy it now. In fact, most good breeders will not let you have the puppy after a first visit. Most good puppy owners do not take money on the first visit.

Never take your children when looking at puppies.

Contact the national breed association and ask questions.

Make sure the breeder does not consistently use males and females from their own kennel. The males most good kennels use come from top winning stock.

A health guarantee is only valuable if you, the puppy buyer, is willing to go to court. In many cases, they are not worth the paper they are written on. Instead, ask for the names of 5 – 10 people who ownes one of these dog’s puppies for more than a year.

Ask the breeder for vet records showing when the breeder had the parents checked for hereditary defects.

Don’t buy from breeders who always have puppies. Also, when it comes to kennels, bigger is not better. Large operations, even ’show’ ones, are businesses. They are more concerned with income than the relationship between you and your new puppy.

Don’t buy a cheap puppy. Find the average price of a puppy, and look for puppies in that price range. It is expensive, ‘properly’ raising a litter of puppies. And, it is easy for a good breeder to sell puppies. So, if a breeder is selling bargain puppies, then something is wrong.

Beware of breeders who breed their female pet. Rarely do they possess the knowledge needed to breed a good litter. More important, I have known about entire networks of people selling puppies, believing they are helping a breeder. Instead, these people are selling puppies for a puppy mill. No one will go to a stinky farm and select their puppy from dozen’s of litters. No one is that naïve anymore. So, puppy mills have become very savvy, even buying ‘show ribbons’, to make themselves appear more legit.

If you can avoid these mistakes, you will reduce the risk of buying a poor quality puppy.

There are some facts I can give you. All the reputable, concerned breeders I have met have three things in common.

1. They love to talk about their breed.

2. They are not in any hurry to sell a puppy.

3. They only breed 1 – 5 litters a year.

Suzanne James is instructor of the online course “Pick the right dog for you” at universalclass.com universalclass.com. She ran a dog training school, and has shown and bred 4 breeds of dogs. And, she is the author of the book,’How to Pick the Right Puppy for You’ available at todaybooks.com. todaybooks.com Currently she breeds Chinese Crested dogs under the name Orchid Kennels

Imagine – worms actually living inside your dog’s beating heart. It’s not something out of a sci-fi movie – it’s real, and it’s not at all pleasant.

The way dogs develop heartworms is fairly simple: Heartworm larvae travel inside mosquitoes – and when the carriers bite your pooch, the larvae makes their way to your dog’s heart, where they feed on the lining of the heart and block life-sustaining arteries.

As with a lot of diseases and disorders, prevention is the key. So, having your dog tested for heartworm, then – if he gets a clean bill of health – starting him on a heartworm prevention/parasite barrier regimen is important.

According to petco.com/Content/Article.aspx?PC=article&Nav=153&PetTypeID=1&TopicID=12&id=1849 PETCO, some of the preventive medications available (by prescription only) that offer superior protection against heartworms are:

• Interceptor – a chewable tablet that guards against heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms.

• Sentinel – combines Interceptor with Program, a flea-control agent.

• Heartgard Plus – a chewable cube that guards against heartworms, hookworms, and roundworms.

• Proheart – a tablet that protects against heartworms.

• Revolution – a topical liquid medication that guards against heartworms, fleas, ticks, ear mites, and sarcoptic mange mites.
Of course, in some cases, prevention might come too late. So if your dog is experiencing symptoms such as:

• Difficulty breathing

• Coughing

• Fatigue

• Listlessness

• Weight loss

• Rough coat

You should see your veterinarian immediately. The cause could be heartworms – or one of any number of other treatable diseases. If your dog has been infected with heartworms, the treatment won’t be easy, inexpensive or risk free, but if you – and your pooch are fighters, then your vet can help you through the situation.

Jed Yorkshire is a retired teacher and pet enthusiast who writes about canine health topics, specialty breeds, animal training and grooming. An avid pet lover and breeder, he owns four beautiful Giant Schnauzers. Yorkshire also works as a private pet behavior consultant.

It may come as a surprise for some people, but dogs like human beings can develop diabetes if food intake containing lots of sugar is not controlled by the pet owner. It is important that we always feed our dogs healthy and nutritious food coupled with some regular exercise to keep them in tiptop condition and away from diseases. Usually, when a dog is not feeling well it cannot communicate to us what he is really experiencing unlike us humans, so it is ideal for you to look after their well being to prevent them from getting sick. If your dog has diabetes, there are certain things that needs your special attention aside from your regular visit to the pet doctor to help your dog go through his sickness,

Regulate your dog’s food intake

Same as with the case of humans, dogs having diabetes need regular medication and a most importantly his diet needs to be restricted. When your dog has diabetes it is imperative that you don’t let him gain too much weight or better yet lose much of his weight either. Your veterinarian’s guidance is needed if there are plans on gaining or losing weight. Changes in weight have an effect on the insulin level needed to control this sickness.

It is important that you monitor the amount of sugar your dog takes in. Keep watch on the food that your dog eats plus how many times he eats in a day. Experts suggests that it would be ideal to serve your dog two or three smaller servings of food rather than one large full meal which most of the time shoot up your dog’s insulin level. Eating smaller portions helps keep blood sugar at a stable rate.

Of course one of the most obvious actions that you need to do would be to avoid serving your pets with food that contain sugar. Though most of us really do not know how much sugar is contained in manufactured foods most especially, experts say that many soft foods, treats, and even dry dog food contain sugar levels that are higher than what is recommended.

Controlling your dog’s blood sugar is not an easy feat and requires extra effort and attention on your part. It is important that you stick to a habitual practice on regular exercise and proper diet to help your dog maintain good health despite his being diabetic.

Choosing between commercial and homemade diets

There have been arguments as to whether pet owners with diabetic dogs should prepare the dog’s meals themselves or should decide to rely on commercial diets instead. Some argue that homemade is still the best way to go because here you have control of what you will be feeding your dog as well as you are aware of how much sugar he is taking in. Preparing homemade meals for your dogs doesn’t have to be that costly and you can find numerous books and sources on the internet that offer essential advice and recipes that you could use.

With regards to commercial diets though, you and your vet have more options and variety to choose from. The consistency in the ingredients being used makes managing your dog’s blood sugar much more convenience. Dogs may take some time to adjust to a particular taste and this requires you trying to find the right one that suits your dog’s taste.

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It is entirely normal to look for signs of intelligence in your dog. Even puppies that are not especially smart nonetheless display flashes of brilliance in their behavior.

And it is also very normal to look for the same things in our pets that we look for in our children, like a keen mind, a sense of humor and loyalty. But the trait that we tend to brag about the most is actually our dog’s intelligence.

There is not really a single type of canine intelligence. According to Stanley Coren, writer of ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’, there are several types of dog intelligence that can be measured by canine IQ tests…

The first one is named Adaptive Intelligence. This relates to learning and problem solving capability, the knowledge and skills a dog can acquire. It also pertains to how much time it takes for your dog to learn new a relationship.

As an example, if your dog recognizes people after just one or two visits, this indicates a good adaptive intelligence capability. You might also look at how well your dog comprehends the laws of cause and effect by observation.

The next type is Instinctive Intelligence, which simply deals with behaviors and skills programmed into the animal’s genetic code. For example, Sheep dogs and Border Collies are superb herding dogs. This is an innate abilty that these breeds of dogs have and has little to do with training.

The third type is Working/Obedience Intelligence, which involves the ability of an animal to follow commands. This type of intelligence is primarily dependant on the actual breed of the dog. Two examples are the dogs used for guiding the blind and for K9 police work.

Another type is Adaptive Intelligence. At a time of the day that you do not usually walk your dog, pick up your keys and his leash when you know he’s watching. If he starts wagging his tail and gets excited, 3 points. If you have to walk to the door before he knows what’s going on, two points. If he sits there with a dumbfounded look, give him one point.

Now if your dog lets YOU know it is time to go to the bathroom by bringing you his own leash (without being trained to) or has mastered the toilet, your dog is truly a genius!

One way to test your dog’s problem solving ability is to take a sizeable towel (or a blanket will do fine as well) and toss it over your dog’s head. If he frees himself from the covering in less than fifteen seconds, give him three points. If it takes fifteen to thirty seconds, two points. If it takes him longer than thirty seconds, give him or her a single point.

To check your dog’s memory, Place some sort of treat under one of three buckets that are lined up in a row. And be sure that your dog sees which bucket the treat is under. Turn the dog away for about ten seconds or so and then let him go. If he or she goes straight to the bucket with the treat under it, three points. If it takes two tries to find the treat, two points. If he/she checks the wrong two first before finding the right one, one point.

Now if your dog scores six points or more, you have a canine genious; four to five points is average; three points or less, well…who said that intelligence was a prerequisite for love?

For additional information on dog wellness visit dog-food-nutrition.com/ Dog Food and other Resources and learn more.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher in Pet and General health issues. For more detail visit dog-food-nutrition.info/ dog-food-nutrition.info/

A lot of people believe crates act as a punishment for dogs, and that they shouldn’t be used. Quite the contrary, this is a very large misconception that most people have. Crates are actually one of the safest places for your dog and also act as gratifications of his inborn instinct to live in a den.

Crates are useful in keeping your Golden retriever puppy inside when you are not at home, are sleeping or are unable to look directly after your puppy while doing something else. It keeps the puppy safe and sound and allows you to do something else without worrying about him or her. It would break your heart if something were to happen to your puppy when you were not at home. Also, it’s a really nice feeling to come home, knowing that the puppy safe inside the crate. The puppy is happy and healthy, and you are thrilled to see him.

Crate training your golden retriever is essential in keeping both your home as well as your Golden retriever safe. It aids in house training, as well as stops the dog from unwanted chewing. It is also the best way of keeping the dog safe when you are traveling in a vehicle. You can also keep your puppy in a crate after they’ve been spayed or neutered.

Ideally you should always have a crate ready when you bring your golden retriever home the first time. Keep it in a central place, with easy access. Try to keep it in one place, and not move it so that the puppy can get used to it being there. If you have a front yard, keeping it there would be a good idea so the puppy can relieve itself outside. Get the puppy used to the idea of the crate, by putting a dog biscuit or a chew toy in there and letting the puppy explore the crate. Repeat this routine a few times every day to get the puppy used to this idea and make it a habit.

For crate training your golden retriever effectively, praise your puppy when he listens to you, and goes inside the crate. Once he’s used to the crate, tempt him to go inside and close the door for some time. Let him learn to stay in the crate for a little while. Don’t take the puppy out, even if it whines, but talk to it from the other side, and give comfort to it. After a little while, let him out and praise him while giving him a dog biscuit. This is a very effective way of crate training your golden retriever pup. Remember, you need to be patient to crate train your golden retriever puppy.

Get a really nice crate, which simulates a den environment, while protecting your puppy at the same time. Putting an old towel inside the crate would be a good idea. Remember, for a full-grown golden retriever, it is not advised to keep them in a crate for more than five to six hours at a time.

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Imagine that you are scolding your cat for scratching at your new furniture, and Kitty is sitting staring at you. Suddenly you realize how silly you look and how futile your scolding is. So how do you train your cat to respect your home?

All cats can be trained and should have some training from their owners. You will need to train your cat to use her litter box, sharpen her claws on the scratching post instead of your couch, and to stop negative behavior when you say “no.” Cats can also learn to do “tricks,” and the mental stimulation of learning is good for them.

Cats learn the same way dogs and people learn; they repeat behaviors that have a pleasurable result. The best way to train your cat is to reward her when she does something right. The reward might be a small piece of a special food, or lots of praise from you in a happy, high-pitched voice.

Training to change negative behaviors requires you to catch your cat “in the act.” For example, if your cat uses your stereo speakers as a scratching post, wait until she is about to put claw to fabric, then firmly say “NO.” The moment she freezes and turns towards you, switch to the happy voice and praise her. Move towards her to distract her away from the inappropriate object. If she makes any movement towards you praise her even more. Timing and repetition are the keys to success here. You must catch her as she moves to act inappropriately, and praise her the exact moment she stops.

Things to remember if your cat scratches your furniture

* Understand your cat’s need to scratch.

* Forget punishment - it doesn’t work.

* Provide a suitable place for your cat to scratch such as a scratching post

* Make the scratching post attractive to Kitty

* Make the place she’s been scratching unattractive - physical or scent related deterrents will work

* Whenever possible, start cats young.

* You may want to trim your cat’s claws.

Training simple tricks can be incorporated into daily playtime. Always keep some cat treats in a pocket during training time. To teach your cat to “shake hands,” begin by saying “shake,” then touching your hand to the underside of one of her front paws. Praise her for letting you touch there, and give her a treat. Repeat this over and over again. Eventually, you can lay your hand flat on the floor just in front of her paw. Say “shake” and wait. If she even moves her paw towards you praise her and give her a treat. Little by little, she’ll catch on that every time she touches your hand with her paw she can get you to give her a treat. Once she willingly touches your hand, you can start to raise your hand off of the floor a little bit at a time. Keep training fun. Stop the session before she loses interest, and always end on a positive note with a reward.

You can use the same one-small-step-at-a-time technique to teach your cat to walk on a leash. This allows you to take your cat outside for fresh air and sensory stimulation without having to worry about her running off. Purchase a cat harness from a pet supply store. Before you even try putting it on your cat, simply leave it lying by her bed for a day or two. When she is used to seeing and smelling it, loosely put it on her just before her normal mealtime. Hand-feed her food to distract her from the harness and to make wearing it a pleasurable experience. Remove it when the food is gone. After a few days, you can let her wear the harness around the house. Let the leash drag behind, but watch to make sure it doesn’t become tangled around furniture. When she seems comfortable with the harness and leash, pick up your end and walk with her, letting her lead the way. Eventually she will walk willingly beside you, and you can both venture outdoors.

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You’ve gone to the shelter and found the perfect puppy, the puppy you and your family just have to have and now have the need to take care of your new puppy at home. Or, your female dog has had a beautiful litter of puppies but for some reason or another is not nursing them.

Do these scenarios sound familiar? If so, or if you’ve found yourself in a situation where you have a puppy that cannot be nursed the natural way, you are going to have to feed him or her by hand. The most effective means for accomplishing this is via bottle feeding.

When you first take on the task of bottle feeding a puppy it is extremely important to remember that the younger your puppy is, the more often you are going to have to feed him or her. During the puppies first two or three days of age you will need to bottle feed approximately once every two hours and for the rest of the first week a minimum of once every three hours.

After the first week your puppy is going to need to be fed at least five or six times per day. As puppies get older the frequency with which you will need to hold a bottle feeding session will decline.

You’re first order of importance when considering to bottle feed a puppy, or making the preparations to do so, that what you feed him or her is nutritionally balanced to fit the puppies needs. There are a number of puppy milk formulas on the market that will take the guesswork out of mixing your own formula, three of the most common are: Esbilac, Puppylac and Hartz Advanced Care Puppy Milk Replacement.

Now that you’ve determined what you’re going to feed your puppy, you need to have a bottle to actually perform the task of feeding. Most veterinary clinics, pet stores and pet departments in larger department stores will have bottles specifically designed for nursing puppies. If you are unable to procure an actually puppy nursing bottle you can substitute a human infant bottle equipped with a preemie nipple.

The actual bottle feeding process is really quite simple. First mix the formula and be sure that it is mixed well and without clumps as otherwise will cause the formula’s nutrients to not be dispersed well and also bottle nipple will plug. While the formula is cooling to room temperature make sure you puppy is lying on his or her belly.

Gently insert the nipple into the puppy’s mouth. If you’re puppy doesn’t take the nipple directly let a small drop fall on his or her mouth and with an extremely gentle prying motion open your puppies mouth and insert the nipple that way. Once the nipple is in place your puppy should take to the nipple and begin sucking naturally.

Be careful to not overfeed your puppy, play it safe and allow them to only drink a little less than they desire. Overfeeding can result in a number issues that can be detrimental to your puppies health that may require veterinary assistance to correct. It is always better to feed a lesser amount but increase the frequency of feeding sessions.

Just as with a human infant, puppies need to be burped too. At the end of a feeding session hold your puppy upright against your shoulder and gently pat his or her back. By doing so you will decrease the likelihood that your puppy’s belly will bloat and will lower the chances for your puppy to become colicky.

Matt operates the website

Reward training has been used for many decades to train dogs and is a great way to train small dogs like the Pomeranian who are too tiny to respond to choke collars and other harsh methods of training.

Reward training is used to train dogs to perform all kinds of activities including police work and military jobs. This type of training is used extensively in the training of dogs for movies and commercials. But you don’t have to have a police dog or movie star to use reward training - it’s very effective to teach your pet basic obedience commands.

As the name implies, reward training involves a reward of some sort. Typically a special treat, but even praise and a few pats on the head can be considered a worthy reward by your dog.

By using rewards, you can train your dog to do most anything. You simply need to follow a set of steps to get your dog to perform the desired task and then reward him right after. So if you want your dog to learn to sit, you might hold the treat above his head and move it backwards until he sits automatically - all the while say the command “sit” then once he has sat, praise him and give him the reward. Soon he will associate the word “sit” with the act of sitting and the subsequent reward.

Clicker training is one form of reward training that can be used if you want the dog to obey you without using verbal commands. The dog is taught to associate a clicking sound with the reward. The trainer clicks the clicker when the dog does something good, followed immediately by a treat. Eventually, the dog learns to respond to the clicker alone.

Reward training can be used to teach your dog complex behaviors if you have the time and patience. In many cases, the training uses a lure to get the dog into the position desired by the trainer. This lure gets the dog to do the “trick” of his own free will. Once the dog has performed the behavior he is given the reward. This is a great way to get the dog to do something without being touched by the trainer and is used a lot in the entertainment business.

When training your dog, it’s important to make sure he will pay attention to your commands when there are other distractions around and not just when the two of you are alone in the house. You need to know your dog will obey you with distractions as this can be one of the most important times for him to listen to your commands because obeying you can be what stands between your pet and some sort of danger. Once you have perfected a command at home - take your pet to the park or other place where there will be distractions and practice the command until he learns to obey you in public as well as in private.

Lee Dobbins is a pomeranian owner and dog lover. Visit her site pomeranian-pages.com Pomeranian-Pages.com for more
pomeranian-pages.com/articles2.html dog care articles and training tips.

There is an increasing concern among dog owners to put their dogs on a healthier diet program because of obesity issue, and many reports, which suggest that commercial dog food, are unhealthy for dogs.

Nevertheless, this good intention is usually not accomplish with the right action and many of these dog diet programs started by the owners simply fail to realize them. These dog diet program fail primary because dog owners do not follow them strictly. Owners often wonder hard why their diet program fail and often blamed it on the dogs, sadly enough, they fail to realize that dogs do not make decisions on what food to eat and the feeding decision is often solely make by the owners themselves.

On the other hand, poor human decision-making and ill discipline are not the only reasons for a failed dog diet program. Sometimes a dog might have other issues that contribute to dietary problems. Stress is a common factor that influences a dog’s diet, unlike human; a stressed dog tends to eat lesser food.

Your dog might also have a digestive problem and might not be able to digest food properly. Illnesses that contribute to these symptoms include liver disease, diabetes, and some other issues that lead to insufficient use of nutrients provided by the food.

Another possible reason for diet failure might be undetected physical health problem such as arthritis or hip dysplasia. These problems would reduce the activity level of dogs and help them gain extra weight if they were to be fed the same diet as before. Same goes to dogs that are suffering from muscular related issues that reduce their zest.

Bad habits like chewing can also lead to the failure of dog diet programs. Chewing is an emotionally satisfying activity to bored dogs and a dog that is often leave with nothing to do will find things and food to chew on in order to pass time.

To help manage your dog diet program, you should try to feed on a fixed schedule, rather than to leave a bowl of food for your dog at all time. Be discipline and follow the diet program strictly. If you think that the above mention examples are not the reasons to affect your failed diet program, consult a veterinary for advice. He might be able to diagnose the problem and offer you a better solution.

Moses Wright is the founder of

Whew! What has Spot been eating? His breathe smells awful. Doggie bad breathe may mean that you need to pay more attention to your dog’s oral hygiene. Dogs are prone to the same dental problems as people - cavities, plaque build-up, and gingivitis.

What’s happening?

A dog’s mouth is warm and moist and provides an ideal environment for bacterial organisms to grow sometimes leading to plaque and calculus. Once plaque and calculus form on the teeth, the normal microbes gets out of balance and trouble can follow. A common condition discovered during a physical exam is a foul breath odor resulting from periodontitis. Periodontitis is a general term for a disease of the oral cavity that attacks the gum and bone and the delicate tissues around the teeth.

Other common dental conditions seen in dogs include: Gingivitis an inflammation of the gums; Caries - an area of decalcification of the tooth enamel leading to cavities in the tooth; Plaque - the buildup of material adhering to the enamel of the tooth composed of a mixed colony of bacteria; Calculus (Tartar) - calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate combined with organic material, deposited on the surface of the tooth; and Pyorrhea - an inflammation of the gums and tooth sockets, often leading to loosening of the teeth and accompanied by pus.

What should you do?

One of the best ways to ensure oral health is to provide the dog with a well-balanced, meat-based dog food. Meat assists in keeping the mouth environment healthy. Encourage your dog to chew treats that require some exercising of the teeth, such as is provided by compressed rawhide chewies, and hard rubber or nylon chew toys. Brushing the dog’s teeth can be a big help, too, but needs to be done almost daily.

There are also new dental care products that include antiseptic chewies, canine tooth brushes, and even flavored tooth pastes. Routine oral hygiene vet visits for ultrasonic teeth cleaning, close inspection of teeth and gingiva, and assessment of overall oral health is recommended. Your personal vet will have some training in assessing your pet’s dental needs and providing treatment. Pet dentistry is also one of twenty specialties currently recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. A certified pet dentist will have had 3 to 6 years of training in the area of specialization beyond the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Truly unique and