Unless you make it clear from the start who is in control then training a big dog can be a problem. A big dog can be a handful because of its size and sometimes its temperament. Unless training has commenced at puppy hood it can be difficult to train your pet. This guide will provide you with some dog training tips and hints to help you gain control over your dog.

It is best to start training your dog from the day you bring it home. If you have acquired a puppy, that is better from a training perspective. Puppies are much easier to train than a big dog. While your pet is a puppy you will easily have control which makes training that much easier.

If your dog is already full grown and is a problem to you and anyone it meets then some serious training is required. Training a big dog will require a lot of patience. A grown dog is harder to train than a puppy. Stay calm and be persistent with your training methods. Start with the basics and take it slowly.

Teaching your dog to sit is one of the first things most people teach their dogs. It can solve a lot of other related problems, like jumping up for instance. There is no point trying to physically get a big dog to sit by forcing their back down. This is not a good method to try on any size dog as it can damage their back so avoid it.

To teach a big dog to sit use food rewards.

• Get your dogs attention.
• If your dog has a tendency to run from you then train it in a small room in your house or in a small confined area of your yard.
• Take a dog treat that you know your dog loves and stand in front of your dog.
• Hold the dog treat just over your dog’s nose, say SIT in a firm voice and move your hand backward behind your dogs head.
• This should all be actioned in one fluid movement. If done correctly your dog will automatically sit. Let him have the treat and praise him. Don’t overdo the praise for hyperactive dogs.

Repeat this four or five times ensuring that you say SIT each time.  Do not overdo it on the first day.

Repeat this process for a week reducing the treats little by little until your big dog eventually sits without the treats. Ensure that you praise your dog each time he does the right thing. The praise will eventually replace the need for treats.

Getting enough water to drink is essential for health for both us and our pets. Since our pets are lifetime companions we want them to be in the best health possible for years to come.

One of the ways to help ensure they stay in tiptop shape is to make sure they’re constantly getting fresh clean water. Sure you can just put down a bowl of water for the pet but that has its downsides. A bowl of water just sits and stagnates over time. You also have to deal with pet hair and dirt falling into the water dish.

A good way to solve that problem is to get a pet drinking fountain.

And one of the best we have found is the Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain which provides a constant flow of water off a dedicated power supply. This ensures that your pet has fresh clean water available all day long.

How It Works

The Platinum Pet Fountain uses a small pump to circulate water from a reservoir to a bowl and back up. As the water circulates it passes through a charcoal filter to remove any nasty odors.  The fountain also has a debris screen to catch any dirt or hair that might get in it.

What We Like:

• The fountain has a removable water reservoir for easy refilling. You don’t have to lug the entire unit over to the sink to refill it. Just detach the reservoir from the unit, fill it, and then snap it back into place.

• Another really nice feature is the detachable power cord. This means that when it comes time to clean the unit it can be unplugged and taken outside for easy washing. Also, the filters are removable so you can just rinse them off and stick them back in the unit with minimum hassle.

• This is a solid unit. It can stand up to a pet. It’s nice and heavy with rubber feet so you don’t have to worry about a pet knocking it over and dumping water all over the floor

Buy the  Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
to provide your pet with fresh water at all times.

Pet hair gets everywhere. Sure we love our pets but constantly chasing down fur balls and trying to vacuum out the couch?

When it comes to keeping the house fur free there are only a few options available. You can either chase after dog or cat with a broom, dustpan, and vacuum or you can limit the amount of hair the pet sheds.

There are all sorts of ways to control pet hair. You can use trimmers, shedding brushes, and combs.  One of the better options we’ve seen though is the FURminator deShedding Tool .

The Furminator comes with a plastic handle and replaceable blades.

How it works:

The Furminator pulls loose hair out of your pets under coat.  By removing this hair build up your cat or dog won’t shed nearly as much. In addition it leaves the pet’s coat shiny and soft. The Furminator doesn’t cut the hair but instead just grabs a hold of loose, dead hair that’s trapped in the pet’s undercoat.

If you’re sensitive to pet dander then the Furminator help. By reducing the shedding in your house you’ll be able to keep the hair and dander to a minimum reducing the risk of allergies kicking up.

What We Like:

• The Furminator works faster than other hair removers. A pet can be groomed with just the Furminator instead of a variety of brushes. The only caveat though is that pet hair needs to be tangle free before starting otherwise it might snag in the coat.

• We really like that this is a manual brush and not one of those vacuum cleaner attachments. The pet feels like it’s being petted. Your pet will sit still and enjoy being groomed instead of running in fear from a loud noisy vacuum.

• The Furminator is a quality grooming tool with replaceable blades. All one has to do is pop in a new blade instead of buying a whole new unit.

BUY NOW or read what others are saying.