Some dog owners argue on what brand, they should give to their dogs. Some say that it is better to buy cheaper dog food, because their dogs are satisfied with it and look okay with the food that they take. Some, on the other hand, says that it is better to buy those expensive foods. Expensive food has more nutrients in comparison to the cheaper ones. However, after giving your dogs expensive food in a month, you will notice that they require less expensive food because they gain weight fast because expensive dog food contains more nutrients. As a result, you will get a new kind of food that is cheaper so that your dog can maintain the weight that you desired for your dog. By doing so, it is pretty clear that the issue is not the price of the dog food.

In choosing the right food for your dog, you must not forget to read the label of the dog food that you will buy. Expensive dog food and store-brand dog food may not be really the best choice if its content does not have the essential nutrients that your dog needs. In selecting a food for your dog, here are some useful tips that you can use whenever you buy food for your dog:

First, you have to consider the meat protein sources since it will help your dogs to develop its muscles. They also get most of their energy and fat from protein. Carbohydrates are also important even though carbohydrates are not really needed by your dogs, its purpose is to hold the dog food together. And lastly, you must make sure that the dog food that you buy has fat sources, preferably animal fats. Try to avoid dog food that has generic vegetable oil, beef tallow, mineral oil and poultry fat. They may have bad effects when you give them to your dogs.

Here are some of the ingredients that may cause harm to your dogs:

1. You have to make sure that the dog food that you are going to buy does not contain by-products for they are left over from processing plants. They may contain anything that comes from chicken feet, head, and feathers, fur, blood, skin, feces, bone, horn and hooves from cow, and dirt or dust that is coming from the processing plants.
2. Generic unidentified ingredients are one ingredient that is to be avoided whether it can be animal, meal or poultry fats. Since they are unidentified, we do not know what elements they contain, so it is better to avoid them before it is too late.
3. Chemical preservatives. They make the products last longer that of the natural preservatives, but chemical preservatives are proven to cause kidney and liver failure and cancer. There may also be other life-threatening effects on your dogs.
4. Salt. Like its effect on humans, it can cause your dogs to have the kidney malfunction.
5. Brewer’s yeast. It can cause skin problems on your dogs. It can also cause infections and ear infections. Though only some dogs are affected to this.
6. Flax. Most dogs are sensitive in flax, they make their stools soft. Onions are also very toxic on dogs and can cause anemia that can cause death to your dogs.

The next time you buy dog food, just check out the label and look for the essential nutrients your dog needs.

You must also bear in mind that dogs, like humans have feelings too. Therefore, you treat your dogs, as if they are a part of your family or treat them as your own son or daughter. Let them think that they are being recognized, and they are well taken care of. In that way, your dogs will show you love, respect, and will give their loyalty in return for they are known as the man’s best friend.

After considering those things that I’ve mentioned, let me give you some pointers on how to teach and train your dog tricks that you wanted them to learn. First you must keep your training as enjoyable as possible, and give them motivations so that they will learn faster (e.g. give them food as a reward after they accomplished their task).

When giving your dog a command, make sure that you only give him one word at a time, for it will confuse your dog if you use two words on the same time in a command. For example, if you use the command “sit”, use it only once and if there is no effect, simply make your dog sit in a sitting position that you want then. Don’t forget to give your dog something, like food, so that the next time your dog hears the word sit, your dog will be motivated to sit down and have its reward thereafter.

There is also one important thing to remember when you train your dog. If you are angry and when you are not in a good mood, you better set aside training your dog for that day cause it may affect your training and spoils everything that you have invested in training your dog.

The following are some tips on how to teach your dogs to obey your commands.  Above everything else, obedience is the most important factor that your dog should observe. If you succeed in imposing obedience to your dog, then teaching him/her some tricks will not be that difficult already. Also, if your dog is obedient and well-behaved you will not have a hard time making him/her understand to your commands.

1. Be patient. There are some dog-owners that get discourage easily if their dogs will not heed to their commands. Of course, these are dogs and their way of thinking is not that of the human beings; hence, dogs are more prone to short attention span, impulsive and unpredictable behaviors, and short memory retention. Experts in dog training said that one should be patient in introducing and teaching  patterns or routine to their dogs so that, eventually, the dogs will get familiar with the routine and, the next time around, it will not be difficult for the dogs to perform such actions because they are already familiar with it.  As the old saying goes, patience is a virtue.

2. Proper attitude. It takes proper behavior and attitude when training a dog. You should have an approachable aura so that your dog will not get the wrong signals. There are times that the master is so stern (or looks stern) that the dog will either got scared or in a defensive mode. We should take into mind that training is not just a “school thing” but a playtime as well. Your dog will also enjoy such playtime because if one is so stern, the dog gets stress-out. Despite  this friendly aura, however, you should maintain the concept of master-and-servant so that the dog will always remember that you are the boss, and that whatever is your command, he/she should follow.

3. Resources.  Raising and training a dog entail some available resources.  One has to invest for the wellness and safety of his/her dog because all efforts in the training will just be put to waste if the dog gets indisposed.  There should be proper food and diet for the dog – there is a wide array of dog food you can choose from.  It is not good to over-feed your dog because, like human beings, they have to maintain a healthy body as well. Do not forget also to provide your dog lots of drinking water. Your dog needs it, especially if you are so serious in training him/her.  It is also proper to give your dogs the needed vaccinations to prevent him/her from acquiring illnesses.  Remember, a healthy dog is more receptive to training and commands.

4. Do not pressure your dog. You should be aware that dogs also have feelings. They get hurt and sad, as well as feel pressure and pain. Do not be too harsh when it comes to training them or teaching them tricks. There are times that they will really not obey you – leave them at is and get back to them if the timing is alright already.  Although the reward-punishment concept is effective, one should take into consideration that there is a big difference between training and abusing. Dogs should not be put at harm when training, whether physically or mentally.

In return for this wonderful love and care, we get from our pets, it is also but nice if we give them respect and commitments to take care of them as long as we have them in our arms. We should serve as responsible pet owners. As their guardians, we should not forget that they are there not solely as our playmates but as our friend and companion. Just like human beings, pets have their own feelings. They know how to feel sad, lonely, happy, angry, mad, thirsty, hungry, tired, bored, stressed or whatsoever. So, it is but necessary for us to give them the kind of life they are worthy of. In order to live long and happy, we must give our pets not only our utmost respect, but also our tender, loving care. We must provide them the basic life-giving opportunities, such as good food, clean and fresh water, comfortable and suitable homes and medicine when sick. It is also important for us to give our pets a bath, when applicable, to the kind of pet we have. Let them do some exercise like giving them toys to play, especially when our pet is a dog, to help them remain physically and mentally healthy. We must provide them with proper enclosure to protect them from rain or too much heat from the sun such as the rabbits. For the birds, we must give them a sizeable cage in order for them to have enough space to spread their wings and fly freely for as long as they want. And for the fish, they must have a long-sized aquarium or tank to swim. Whatever form of house they need, it is important for us to always clean their area and surroundings in order to protect them from getting sick.  It is also necessary for us to bring them to veterinary doctors for vaccination and health care.

Owning a pet, therefore, is not that easy and simple. Becoming a pet guardian requires commitment and dedication to serve them and love them.  Before bringing home any type of pet, potential owner must be sure that he can do the responsibilities needed for pet owners.  He must be a pet lover, for when he is not, he will surely have a hard time taking care of the pet and owning a pet is obviously not right for him. We must remember that pets are not things or commodities. They are just like human beings that have feelings and needs. Therefore, we must give them the kind of enjoyment fit for them and the kind of life worthy of them.

If there is a mother-child bond, dogs-human attachment also exists. However,, in reality, unlike humans, canines have their own brainpower. Dogs communicate very differently to us humans. Instincts tell them they need rules to follow thus, a need for training.

Basically, dog training is as easy to begin as chewing a gum. You only need to have a leash and a collar plus treats to serve as rewards for every completed task. Make sure to secure a collar that will not put too much trauma on your dog’s neck. Punishment can be a good thing as well, only when not used excessively or violently. Obedience training is one of the most common forms of training, and perhaps the most satisfying. While the collar and leash are on, a good exercise before starting the training is teaching your dogs how to pay attention. Increase your dog’s concentration and his ability to handle distractions. Try to introduce new surroundings to your dog while training like taking him for a walk where other dogs can be found. Besides, it helps your dog to release physical energy and be mentally stable. Never walk a dog in front of you because instinct tells a dog that the leader goes first. Just walk a dog either beside you or behind you. Always remember that if the dog is having a lot of fun, it is more likely that he will learn the commands sooner than you think.

A well-mannered dog should at least know five basic commands: heel, sit, down, stay and come. Usually, the very first command to teach your dog is the heel command. The sit command is one of the simplest commands you can teach your dog while stay command is probably one of the most aggravating of the basic commands. Teaching your dog to lie down is easy and fun. The most essential basic command your dog should learn is to come when called.

Surely, we can make-believe that we could  transform a dog into having human characteristics and totally domesticate them out of the training we taught but let us not forget that we can never get rid of the natural animal instincts in them. If you want to have a “happily ever after” co-existence with man’s best friend, understanding and satisfying them is of utmost importance. It requires time, patience and commitment if you are really determined to finally train your dog.