Spring time and your dog

Watch for Toxins in Your Spring Garden! Due to their natural curiosity, their love of digging, and their tendency to consume anything they come across, dogs are at a high risk for accidental poisoning. This can be particularly true in spring, as front gardens and backyards come to life with new growth, and as dogs and their owners spend more time outdoors.

• Toxic bulbs, plants and flowers include tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, certain lilies, crocus, and lily of the valley.

See a detailed chart here.

• Harmful fertilizers and ground cover include cocoa mulch, blood meal, bone meal, and any fertilizer containing disulfoton or organophosphates.

Store all poisonous substances in your home, garage, and yard out of reach of your curious canine, and block access to potentially harmful bulbs and flowers. If you suspect your dog has ingested a poison, call your veterinarian at once; or dial the Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680.

We received this newsletter from the AKC and decided to share it with our customers friends and family members that may not now about some dangers in the gardens or plants we have hanging around .Have a great Spring and remember to get outside and play with your dogs !!

All American Dog Training

Training Collars

Let’s talk about training collars for a moment. There are several training collars that can help you in a training process. You have to decide what is good for you and your family and your pet based on a professional evaluation. A qualified trainer will be able to tell you and assist you what will work and what to stay away from. Training collars are intended to speed up the training process and solve behavioral problems and bad habits.
Using the right one could save your house from damages and your frustration level if used in a training program and advise from your trainer. There are lots of training apparatuses out there from the simple fixed collar to electronic. We are going to cover the basic or the more popular ones here and I did not cover every collar out there because simplicity is always the best way to go when training your animal. Here are some examples of collars that are used in training:

Fixed Collars:
It is really important that the fixed collar will fit comfortably on your dog's neck with some allowances of 2 to 3 inches to spare. A quick way to check is that you should be able to fit two fingers between your pet and the collar. Not all dogs have to be trained on a Slip collar or a prong collar. We train all types of dog from small to large on fixed collars.

Choke Collars/Slip Collars:
Unfortunately these are synonymous with choking the dog which is totally incorrect. The proper use of the choker is to have the collar completely loose at all times and only give a fast and efficient “snap” to get the dogs attention. Proper use is necessary with any type of training collar. These collars are very effective if used properly and are a main staple in dog obedience.
Head Collars/Gentle leaders
These collars can be used in a dog that already knows how to walk effectively but we do not use them very often. They do not provide enough control when dealing with a wild child or a dog that pulls like he /she is on a sled team. Also you do have to be careful upon proper fitment of the gentle leaders due to the dog not getting enough oxygen while walking if the collar is too tight around the nose of the dog.

Pronged Collars:
These collars are effective for small size people who have very big, strong dogs and can really give you an edge over a really wild, misbehaving dog. They look more medieval then what they should, but they do work for equalization purposes.

Electronic Collars:
Electronic collars have their place in the training world but should only be used when there is no other option or you are dealing with great distances within training (hunting or field training) your pet. They can be used for obedience problems but there are many more methods that should be done before you get to this method. There is no place for an owner to “shock” his/her dog just because it will not listen and the owner is looking for the fastest method possible. Dogs that have health problems or that are under 12 months old should never have an electronic collar used.

A dog training collar is like any other tool, in the right hands with the right methods, it can work wonders. Please consult a professional before you use any type of training collar to see which one is appropriate with your family and your pet. The main purpose of a dog training collar is not to hurt the animal, but to help you to speed up the process of training your dog.

Dog Food Analysis

Dog Food Analysis

We have all wondered what food is good for my dog(s) . Well we were given this link and decided to share it all of you ! Dog Food Analysis or http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog-food-index-a.html

This website breaks all the food down by manufacturer and names of the dog food brand and it gives you in good detail what the back of the dog food says and then rates the food.

Food is an extremely important factor in your dogs well being . It can help manage weight , housebreaking and overall health. Dogs need a complete regimen of balanced foods . Some "lower" end dog foods ( which will not be mentioned here ;-) ) can made you dogs have all kinds of issues.

Make sure that when picking a dog food you have the help and knowledge of you veterinarian to help determine whats right for your dog . A high end dog food may be to "rich" for your dog and upset its tummy . A food with not enough of what a dog "needs" may result into bad behavior in which a dog can crave and element and go looking for it in a piece of wood a baseboard even a piece of drywall.

Is there a perfect food for your dog ..... No , but you can help it get the best nutritional value of the food it needs . So that's why we decided to pass along this website so you can do some research on your own if you need or want to .

All American Dog Training

Basic Training is the place to Start

Basic training is where you and your dog should always start . When you enroll in a training program it is important that you dedicate the time as it will be the success of your training and the overall learning of you and your pet. The more time and effort you put in the better the training program will work for you and your pet. This doesn't mean you have to go out and work your dog all day long , but you need to incorporate into your daily life so instead of having to "practice" you are using the material in daily life and it practices itself because your doing the homework to make your dog perform to a new standard.



The 7 most important basic dog training commands for any dog owner are:

• Heel


• Sit


• Stay


• Come


• Down


• Place


• No

We offer more specialty commands in our training programs but we will talk about those commands another day . The basic commands should be taught first so that other difficult/Advanced ones will be easier to learn for your dog at a later stage.

Remember with any training program consistency is the key ! If you stay consistent and you always have the same answer for your dog he/she will learn . Here's and example: Fluffy is a Pomeranian puppy that the owner let up on the furniture . Now the owner decided that it wasn't a good idea and wants to get Fluffy from jumping on the sofa . Every time Fluffy jumps on the sofa the owner is there to catch Fluffy and say "off " and quickly remove him from the sofa. Now if the owner stays consistent m the problem will be fixed and Fluffy will learn to stay off . If the owner lets fluffy get away with it on occasion because the owner is " not feeling good , One time isn't going to hurt , too tired to care " All that work will be wasted and everything has to be redone. Long story Short , Consistency and repetition is the key to any successful training program !!!