Best Dogs for Security

Are you getting a dog to protect you and your home? Find out which dogs rank the best based on their breed’s natural behaviour.

Are you looking for a Guard dog?

The following are characteristics to look for:

·         A sense of the dog’s territory

·         Aggressiveness

·         Strength

·         Courage

·         Resistance to counterattack

·         Tendency to protect the dog’s adoptive family

·         Propensity to be properly trained

Another great virtue is aloofness to strangers as they will not be strayed from protecting the family. A dog guards the family best INSIDE the house during hours when intrusion is most likely. If the guard dog is outside, and the burglar is inside, the dog cannot protect the house.

The following breeds are ideal guard dogs:

·         Bull Mastiff

·         Doberman Pinscher

·         Rottweiller

·         Komodor

·         Puli

·         Giant Schnauzer

·         German Shepherd

·         Rhodesian Ridgeback

·         Kuvasz

·         American Stafford Terrior

·         Chow Chow

·         Belgian Sheepdog

·         Akita Inu

Check out the following site to find out more about these breeds: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/a-z.htm

Other factors that potential dog owners may wish to consider include gender and color. As a general rule, females of many breeds may be less aggressive, however more protective of family members.

Although a dog's color has no direct correlation to its physical gifts or temperament, a darker dog, especially a black one, appears more menacing to would-be intruders. Also if a room or yard is very dark, a dark-coloured dog may be difficult for an intruder to discern and make the intruder more hesitant.

Some dogs, such as many kinds of Pit Bull Terrier and the Presa de Canario have been used extensively as guard dogs. However, controversy surrounding these dogs have led many to distance themselves from them. Some jurisdictions have banned the ownership of these dogs altogether.

It is important to note that dog attacks are not a common occurrence and much of the source of aggression in dogs stems from abuse and mis-training by the dogs' owners.

Is Pet Insurance Worth the Money?

Whenever you bring home a new puppy, this question always crosses your mind: Is pet insurance worth the money? Truth is pet insurance is very expensive, and like house insurance you may put thousands of dollars into it and your puppy may never require any health care until they are much older. On the other hand, health insurance can also reduce the cost of shots that your puppy would normally get throughout the year. However, you don't really won’t see the investment as being worthwhile until your dog has a more major problem.

Many large breeds (particularly those with low-slung back-ends, have a very high chance of developing hip dysplasia. Examples of these breeds include boxers, grey hounds, German shepherds, etc. If this happens, then any procedure at the vet will be very expensive. Border Collies, for example are prone to eye problems, while smaller dogs can have joint or back problems as well as respiratory problems.

The main draw-back for getting pet insurance is that you have to get it before your dog gets ill with the health problem or it won’t be covered. So if your dog has to have x-rays and an operation for hip dysplasia, then you’ll probably want the insurance. However, they won't cover it because the problem is already known! If that happens, but your dog has another problem in the body then the insurance will cover this particular problem as long as the dog didn't have it before the time you got the health insurance.

To get the best out of insurance, you would ideally want to insure get your puppy covered as soon as possible, preferably when they are still puppies because companies won’t cover claims if the problem is a pre-existing condition.

Also, please read each plan carefully and be sure it's a good one for the money. Personally, I'd go "mid price" and be sure it covers emergency calls.

Take a look at this site to compare the top 3 pet insurance companies in Canada: http://trupanion.com/canada?gclid=CJGcmfLuzKwCFcZM4AodkVbtqg

How to Get Rid of Your Dog's Bad Habits

In order to stop your dog from doing something you don’t like requires consistency, attentiveness, timing and praise. You have to catch your dog in the act of doing the bad thing, and correct the dog every time he does the bad thing. Every time he gets away with doing it, it’s two steps backward in the training because then he realizes that he can get away with it.

It is extremely important that you correct you dog while he’s committing the bad thing or immediately after he does it. If 5 to 10 seconds go by before the correction comes, your dog doesn’t know what he’s being corrected for. A dog doesn’t associate past actions to the present like a human does. Five to ten seconds after a dog has committed an act, whether it was a good one or a bad one, the act is forgotten. Any praise or punishment given more than five to ten seconds after the act has been committed is useless, because the dog does not associates the praise or the punishment with the commission of the act.

A correction can be a stern “NO!”, or it can be a sharp jerk on the lead. Whatever works, but be consistent. As soon as your dog stops doing the bad thing, you should praise him immensely. The praise is more important than the correction, so remember to do it.

As an example:

You catch your dog chewing on your table leg. You give him a stern NO! Your dog stops chewing on the table leg. You tell him what a good dog he is and pet him. Your dog associates the “NO!” with the act of chewing on the table leg. He stops chewing either because he knows what NO means or he’s startled. You praise him by telling him how good he is, and he associates the praise with not chewing on the table leg.

For some dogs it may take only one or two corrections. For others, it may take ten or more corrections. But if you’re consistent, attentive, and persistent, you will be successful in stopping any bad habit your dog has.

A trained dog is a happy dog and has a happy owner.

Socializing Your Puppy

When you have a new puppy it is important to socialize them not only with other dogs and people, but also with things in their environment that might seem intimidating at first.  You should do so in a way that is not frightening to the puppy, and ensure that it is enjoyable with the use of treats and praise.

Steps to socializing your puppy:

When you’re on walks with your puppy bring treats so that when strangers approach him they are able to reward him for being calm.  At the same time, you should also reward the puppy when they calmly react towards cars, bicycles, etc.

On your walks, try to vary the surface as often as possible.  Stairs, metal grates and gravel will definitely invoke a reaction from your puppy.  Reward positive behaviour, and ignore negative behaviour.  It is important not to pet your puppy or give him treats when he is scared in order to comfort him as it is only rewarding him for being scared.

Be sure to bring your puppy with you when you go to the pet store as it will allow you to bring him around people who are also dog lovers and will ensure positive reactions upon seeing him.

Make sure you reward positive behaviour such as staying calm when others approach, walking at your pace, or waiting patiently.

It is also a good idea to enroll your new puppy in obedience classes, as it allows them to socialize with the same dogs regularly and make friends.

Take a look at this cute video of a large older dog playing nicely with a small puppy.

Basic Commands to Teach your Puppy

It’s very important to teach your puppy some very basic commands. Here are 3 easy ones for you to try at home.

1.    Sit - A basic and easy command.

2.    Lay Down - An easy, but important command.

3.    Fetch/Retrieval - How to teach the activity of retrieval.

How to teach your dog to Sit

Stand beside your puppy and put your hand under the puppy’s neck, and the other on top of their bum. Push up with your hand under their neck, while pushing down with your other hand on their bum (directing them into the sitting position) as you say “Sit”. As they sit, praise them. Repeat this and your puppy will learn to sit by verbal command only.

How to teach your dog to lay down

Stand beside your puppy and say "Lay Down". Hold a small treat in your hand at nose level of the puppy, and as you say "Lay Down", bring it down to the ground. If they aren't completely lying down, help them with your other hand. Give them praise and the treat. Repeat.

How to teach your dog fetch

Most likely your puppy already likes balls so this process should be easy.

Throw a ball (not very far), and say "Fetch". Your dog will go get the ball. Now say "Come" or "Here" to get your puppy to return to you. When your puppy returns with the ball, ignore the ball and give your puppy praise. Do not take the ball away from the puppy. Now give the command to "Sit" and "Stay". The reason you don’t want to try to take the ball away is the puppy might get in the habit of dropping the ball before they even reach you.

Now teach your puppy to give you back the ball or "drop" it. Puppies enjoy chasing the ball might do this all on their own. Say "Drop it" as they drop the ball. When they drop the ball, give them praise. Throw the ball again while saying “Fetch” and repeat the process.

Take a look at some possibilities of what some amazing dogs can do!

Teaching your puppy tricks/ or new commands can be very time consuming and will take a lot of patience. Remember to practice and keep a positive attitude.