Blog - SpockTheDog.com

An Update on Spock, the Dog and the Blog

Spock, the German Shepherd, the dog that inspired me to start this blog, is now 1 year, 1 month and 15 days old. He turned out to be a beautiful dog, incredibly playful and active, and a barker. He’s also not a small dog anymore.

When I got him he had 7 pounds (3 kg), while at his age he was supposed to weigh 22 pounds (10 kg). Took me a couple of months, but he finally reached a normal weight, and now he looks like any other German Shepherd. The picture below is taken a few months ago, at 7 months I believe.

Remember the days when your puppy or dog slept on a cozy blanket in the corner of your bedroom? Now days dogs just like people have their very own beds. The time of tossing a worn out blanket into the dryer and tossing it in a corner are gone. There are soft pads made just for your breed and size abound if bright colors and materials. My favorite is the fleece dog beds. These stylish beds are just like ‘people beds’. There’s the silky purple umbrella bed for the truly spoiled poodle, the natural maple varnished berth for the big-eyed friendly pug, even the orthopedic bed for the senior- aged Beagle.

Dog training may seem like a daunting task. It can be quite difficult if you don’t know what you are doing. The key to success in dog training is through consistency. Dogs learn via association, if you jump all over the place then your dog will never learn to associate their behavior with a reward. Maintain a consistent approach and dog training routine and you will be sure to succeed!

Socializing your dog at a dog park is beneficial to your pet and yourself… you’re giving your dog the opportunity to socialize with his own kind. It goes without saying that all dogs must be accompanied by their owners. Your responsibility does not end there, however. Some owners mistakenly think that once they’re within the dog park, they can just sit on a bench until it is time to gather their pets and go home. But sitting on the sidelines disconnects yourself from your pet… and you are missing out on the opportunity to reinforce obedience etiquette for your pets.

Have you just purchased a new puppy and now you want to know how to house train a dog? Housebreaking your new puppy is the most important thing he needs to learn. The best time to start housebreaking your new puppy is when he reaches the age of 8 to 12 weeks old. Most breeders and many states have laws against selling pets at to young an age to leave their mother. Make sure you check the birthdate on the AKC dog papers or if getting your canine from a shelter find out as much information as you can about the breed and age.

There you are at the end of the day; on your couch relaxing with a movie and popcorn; dog sleeping at your feet; and WOW! He did it again, and you never saw it coming! Your best doggy friend just emitted his unpleasant aromatherapy for the entire world to smell: flatulence, better known as “gas”.

Have you been in that situation before? If you think it makes you ill, how do you think he feels?

If you’re looking to buy a new dog for your family, chances are that you’ve considered pretty much every breed out there. There is one possibility that a lot of people don’t consider though, and that’s getting a hybrid dog, a mix between two purebreds, which might come from a rescue, or it might come from a breeder that specializes in these breed combinations.

The key factor to effective Dog Aggression training is to determine what’s causing the aggression in the first place. An effective method of working with or training the dog can be developed after you understand what triggers aggression for your dog. Remember that some breeds are more aggressive than others, and will need a more controlled environment and possibly specialized training and socialization.

Keeping a pet dog at home may be a great source of joy, entertainment and companionship. However, it is not an easy task. There are many problems you need to face and tackle. You are likely to face problems like dog aggressiveness, digging, biting, jumping, chewing etc. Bolting out the front door is also one of these major problems you have to face quite often. It is said that dogs that bolt, are often rewarded with unnaturally short life spans. Before you get in to any sort of anxiety or stress, we would like to tell that this problem is fairly easy to solve, as long as you understands that the key to the solution is to be persistent and consistent in pursuing the goal of training your dog properly.

The benefits of a dog diet which is hypoallergenic are many. The same as humans, dogs do suffer from allergies to certain foods or certain ingredients in some foods. When this happens, an adverse reaction such as itching or outbreak of a rash, or other symptoms can occur. So it is important to find out as early as possible what your dog may be allergic to.