Teaching a Reliable Recall

Why doesn't my dog come when I call him?

"Spike... COME!" you yell as he looks up at you and runs the other way.

This is many of our dogs reactions when they hear you call their name.

Some dogs understand the command, but only come on their own terms. The recall command is one of the most important things to teach your dog. It can keep him out of trouble if he gets loose and make your life a lot easier when your ready to leave the dog park. The worst thing people do when teaching the "come" command is overuse it. You call him to you when your really not worried if he comes or not so the one time he shrugs you off it's not a big deal. Well what if that one time is when he is about to run across the road? Coming is not an option... It is something you need to teach your dog correctly and constantly enforce.
Get a hand full of treats and stand in front of your dog showing him the goodies you've got. Then take a few steps backwards and say "Spike Come"  (of course using your own dogs name). Your dog should happily follow you and then you reward him with a yummy snack. Practice this a few time moving faster and further away each time... depending on the size and excitement level of your dog you may not be able to get very far with him practically chasing you. Then you can take him out in a bigger area and practice again. Wait until your dog is distracted and call him again with a cheerful and excited tone. If you dog does not respond go and get him and wave the treats in front of his nose until he is happily following you again. Then reward him. Wait until he gets distracted again and call him. Practice this several times getting further and further away. Because this is such a valuable command it might be a good idea to use treats your dog really loves. Bits of kibble might not do the trick but a tasty piece of chicken just might.
If your dog is really having trouble, attach a long lead to his collar so when you call him you can tug slightly on the leash if he doesn't come at first. Also make sure you only call you dog when you know he is going to come. Don't bring your puppy to a busy dog park and expect him to come back. He is too overly stimulated and it takes much practice to get a reliable recall. In those situations either keep your dog on a lead or make sure you can just go and get him when you need him. Since I use the word "come" all the time and don't really think twice about it I decided to use a whistle instead of the actual word. I just associate the whistle blowing with coming and a reward. This way he won't get confused and he will be able to hear the whistle from far away.

Interesting pet products!

THE PAW PLUNGER!

Clean their paws before they track mud all over you living room!

Just fill with warm water and dunk your dogs feet in one at a time (if they will let you.)

I haven't tried this on a dog... but I saw it in a store and put my hand in.

Theres tons of bristles inside and I've heard it works pretty well.

You can buy it at Orvis or check out amazon.com

Picture from http://www.buzzfeed.com/eliot/giant-croc-dog-bed-26q

The Giant Croc dog bed...

Looks pretty cozy!

The FURminator

It has over 2,000 reviews on amazon and it's rated almost 5 stars!

They even have a video to prove it!

Battle of the Brands

The pet food recall of 2007 had several pet owners worried, and for good reason. Do we really know what goes into our dog's food? Are brands supported by veterinarians like Science diet necessarily better for your dog? Quite the opposite actually. Dogs are carnivores and the main ingredients in their food should be meat! Not fillers like corn and unnecessary grains. Out of the first four ingredients two should be meat or meat related (preferably the first two.) 
The first four ingredients in Science Diet "Adult Active" are Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Animal Fat, and Dried Beet Pulp. Chicken by-product meal is the only "meat source" named in the entire ingredients list. By-products of any animal are considered an inferior source of protein. Corn isn't very good for dogs either especially in high quantities (It is safe to say that it should not be the first ingredient.) It is very cheap for dog food producers to use corn as a filler which has made it quite popular in many brands. 
The first four ingredients of Iams Healthy Naturals are Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewer's Rice, and Corn Meal. Here we see corn again as well as Chicken by-product meal. And I know you are thinking, 'look how much better it is with Chicken as the first ingredient.' Chicken was the first ingredient, before it was dehydrated in order to make those nice dry kibbles. The dehydration process removes all the water weight and moves the ingredient much further down the list. It is safe to say that it is healthier to have a dog food without wheat, soy, corn, meat by-products, and artificial flavors and preservatives. Some canine nutritionists believe that dogs should not ingest grains at all. 
You should always look for "human-grade" food when you are looking at a brands website. Why would you feed your dog anything else? 
There are several "natural" brands out there... and some are better than others. Make sure you read the ingredients closely before you decide to buy. Also some foods may have great ingredients but might not be right for your dog. Its all a game of trial and error. 


tip: Make sure you transition your dog slowly from one food to the next to prevent shocking their system! 


Some examples of good dog foods:
Artemis Fresh Mix - Adult Dog Formula 
-first four ingredients: Chicken, Chicken meal, Turkey, Cracked Pearled Barley
Wellness Complete Health - Whitefish and Sweet Potato
-first four ingredients: Deboned Whitefish, Ground Barley (de-hulled), Rye Flour, Menhaden Fish Meal
Evo - Large Bites (grainless food)
-First four ingredients: Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal




*** check out this Dog Food Analysis website for full and detailed reviews on tons of different brands! A fabulous source of information!

First Post!

Hey welcome to the Water dog Blog!
I hope to share as much of my knowledge about dogs, training, and behavior with you as I can.
I will even post reviews of supplies and brands of dog foods that I find especially good (or in some cases really bad.) Eventually when I get my next puppy I will document the process of house breaking, teaching basic commands and manners, and other important things to know about raising a puppy!
You might be wondering why it is called the "Water dog Blog." I currently own two labrador retrievers and will be getting a portuguese water dog within the next year or two (and that's not because of Obama.) I love the outdoors and I love an adventurous dog. I live in New England and there is nothing better than taking your dog swimming in the hot days of summer and romping through the deep snow in the winter months.
Thanks for reading!