I have loved writing this blog all year and being able to educate you all on the multiple types of dogs and different dog facts as well. If it has not been made clear already after all of my posts, I love dogs. I think that dogs are such an important part of life and that everyone should be able to experience life with a dog. I know that some people might be afraid of dogs but that is why there are so many different breeds to choose from; you can pick a dog based on your own preferences, needs, and desires which is so awesome. Every dog breed has a different type of personality so you are able to pick a calmer breed or a more excited breed if you want.

I am not just encouraging you all to get a dog because I love them, it has actually been proven that dogs are actually good for your own health. For example, the American Heart Association found that owning a dog can actually reduce the risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Another American Heart Association study found that dog owners who receive support from their puppers actually have lower blood pressure brought on by mental stress. Maybe it is due to taking your dog on walks or maybe it is due to the fact that your heart gets ten times bigger with the love you have for your dog, who knows? Aside from being good for physical health, there is also evidence that shows that dogs are linked to the reduction of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. This goes along with pet therapy and how dogs are used in hospitals for patients, for people undergoing chemotherapy, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and even physical therapy patients who are working on their motor skills. Another crazy things that dogs can do to help with your health is that they are actually able to detect life-threatening health issues. For example, dogs can be trained to realize and identify when their owner is having a seizure. Quick personal story to prove this. One of my family members had seizures and my Welsh Corgi, who we never trained to detect seizures, would actually start freaking out if that person started having a seizure which then alerted us that we need to get to that person. So we never trained our dog to do that, she just knew based on her own instincts. Also, dog’s can even be used to help with allergies. For example, a dog’s terrific sense of smell can actually be used to catch a certain food before their owner eats it. So while you might have to train your dog to be able to detect these types of health issues, they are very able to be trained. So if you want to live a healthier, happier, and less stressful life, get a dog ASAP!

Now, say your kid has been bothering you to get a dog or maybe you are begging your parents to get a dog, there are so many reasons to get a dog for kids. Here are just a few reasons to get a dog for your kids:

1. Dogs teach responsibility
   1. Being responsible for a dog teaches kids how hard it is to care for another living thing, this is not like taking care of a goldfish, it is much more difficult and takes a lot more time and effort. This helps children to learn how to take initiative, remain grounded and remind them that another live depends on them.
2. Dogs help to build up the immune systems
   1. Studies have shown that kids who live with dogs actually tend to get less sick throughout their lives. One study showed that babies who are brought into a home that already has a dog are less susceptible to respiratory infections and colds. The reason for this is because dogs bring in different kinds of germs and bacteria that a child’s immune system learns to build defenses against which then helps them as they grow.
3. Dogs Offer Protection
   1. Having a dog in your home causes a reduced chance of a break in or a robbery. Dogs are great for defending your home because they are ready to bark or defend their family against intruders. Also, robbers are more likely to skip over houses that have dogs in them because of the hassle they cause.
4. Dogs keep kids active.
   1. If you want to make sure that your child is staying healthy, make them walk the dog every day. Dogs need to be walked in order to stay healthy and children need to have physical exercise as well. Even playing fetch with a dog contributes to a healthier life for kids.
5. Dogs help to teach selflessness
   1. When a child has to go from being in charge of themselves to being in charge of a dog, they learn that life does not revolve around them. When a child is responsible for another living thing, they learn that others need to be taken care of themselves since they can’t take care of themselves.

Although it might be a daunting task to welcome a dog into your home and train them, it will be worth it. Dogs are not just animals, they are a support system that provides unconditional love. There is too much evidence to dispute the fact that dogs are good for people. Yes, there are horror stories about terrible dogs but if you do enough research and pick your dog very carefully, you should not have issues. Please take a look at these adoptable dogs and make their life and your life even better.

 

Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a terrific spring break and relaxed in the sun! I know that you missed it, so here we are back again with a new Blog of Dogs! This week, we are going to focus on how to train your precious pooches. As we have talked about before, dogs are very smart and are capable of being trained to do many different things. If you want to train your dog to the best of their abilities, then you need to train them properly and effectively. With this, this blog is going to give you the best tips and tricks to train your dog.

There are so many different ways to train dogs. Some people take the “firm hand” approach while others take the “alpha dog” approach. With this, all dogs are different and different breeds respond better to different training approaches. However, there are some basics that need to be shown in every type of training. These basic training tips are: rewarding behaviors you like and making sure behaviors that are not favorable are not rewarded. Other than these two important tips, you can really choose how to train your dog in your own way. It might take a while to figure out the best way to train your own specific dog so here are some tips to start you on the right track to training your new family member.

1. Listen to your dog.
   1. Make sure that you are paying attention to your dog and what they want. If they seem uncomfortable for some reason, listen and respect that and try to fix whatever is making your dog upset.
2. Show your dog proper affection.
   1. While many people do not necessarily have a problem showing when they are unhappy with their dogs, it is much harder to show appreciation and love when their dog does something right. With this, make sure that you give your dog a lot of positive attention and love when they do something right. Dogs love pleasing those they love so when they are being praised for something they did, it is the best way to encourage a certain type of behavior.
3. Be consistent.
   1. Life can be confusing for a new puppy with so many stimuli and noises around them so it is very important to be as steady as possible with your dog. With this, it is important to make sure that the whole family is as involved in training the dog and not just one main family member. If someone yells at the dog when he jumps on the couch and then someone lets the dog up on the couch another day, it can very confusing for the dog and be detrimental to their training.
4. Be realistic with your expectations.
   1. Training a dog is not easy, it is a big job that can take a lot of time and effort. Dogs have behaviors that are natural to them, like barking, digging, and jumping, that can take a long time to stop a dog from doing. Have patience with your dog and try not to get too frustrated.
5. You get what you reinforce which is not always what you want.
   1. If your dog exhibits a behavior that is unfavorable, it is likely that the action was something that has been reinforced before. For example, if your dog brings you a toy and then barks at you to throw it and then you do, this teaches the dog to bark to get what they want. To stop this type of behavior, you must ignore his barking or ask him to do something, like sit, before throwing the toy. This way, you are not responding to his bark rewarding him for obeying you.

Now that you know the tips to training your dog, here are some basic commands that are very important for your dog to learn:

1. Sit
   1. This command allows you to be able to get control of your dog, no matter what situation. This is a very good command to teach your dog first.
2. Drop
   1. This command teaches your dog to drop whatever is in their mouth. This is an important command because it could save your dog from harm if they ever pick up something poisonous or dangerous.
3. Stay
   1. This command teaches your dog to remain still and calm and in one place. This is good for when you are handling food or if there is a car around your dog.
4. Heel
   1. This command teachers your dog to stay close to you as you walk. This is very useful for keeping your dog under control while you are going on walks.
5. Come
   1. This command teaches your dog to come to you on your command. This command is important to teach your dog as soon as they learn their own name. This command keeps your dog under control and cna keep your dog from harm.

I hope that this blog was helpful in training your dog! Good luck and have fun with your new pup!!