Posted by admin on August 31st, 2009 — Posted in Food + Cooking, Living With Nutrition, Puppies + Pets
whether you are hosting a large or little event or just a party, hosting a hog roast is at present one of the most best-selling ways of catering.A hog roast can feed upwards of one hundred people, and are best suited to informal occasions. In medieval times it was simply the most prosperous individuals who could afford to host a hog roast, but that has all altered now, anyone can have a hog roast. Getting the right hog roasting company can be a bit trying, but these few points that I’m about to inform you of should make things a lot easier. Think about everything you could possibly want and find a company that will supply you with it.These things include bread rolls and salads to go with the beautifully cooked meat, all the cooking equipment and a chef for the duration of the event and of course a hog. If you want the optimum equipment, the best chefs and the optimal choice of meat then you need to pick out the optimum hog roasting company to get the best you possibly can.Spit roasts are a glorious thing because you can roast any type or size of animal, so if your not a big fan of pork don’t get put of the spit roasting idea.There have been stories about different animals being spit roasted, from things that are normally spit roasted like chickens and lamb to the not so normal goat and even a whole cow. Hopefully these tips will help make sure that your event runs to plans and that your guests all have a great time.
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Posted by admin on July 9th, 2008 — Posted in Puppies + Pets
One of the most common misconceptions people have is that their own dogs won’t bite. While everybody feels some level of respect for a big, growling dog we are becoming too nonchalant about our own dogs. How confident are you that your dog will never bite anyone?
Do the words - Wouldn’t hurt a fly come to mind? We all think that our own dogs are gentle natured until they prove us otherwise.
Dog owners often claim their dogs are completely comfortable with children. I myself was bitten as a child it happens often and even usually mild mannered dogs can snap. Children are a little more vulnerable and a little snap that wouldn’t injure an adult can have dire consequences for a well-meaning child.
Dogs can inflict potentially life threatening injuries. Luckily my injuries were only superficial. Some corrective surgery and a few years of healing and the physical evidence have all but gone. Many are not as fortunate.
Tragically for the most part, these kinds of bites are completely avoidable. Dogs don’t bite people without provocation right?
Not quite. It’s true it does take some provoking to get a usually mild mannered dog to bite the triggers aren’t as obvious as you would think.
So why do dogs bite?
Experts still disagree as to whether dogs bite because of human provocation or breeding. While it is indisputable that certain breeds of dogs do bite more than others it’s also hard to argue with thousands of year’s worth of domestication. People have been trying to breed the aggressive out of the dog for the most part anyway.
There are some human behaviors that can provoke even docile dogs:
-Fiddling with their food: don’t disturb your dog (or any dog) while they are eating.
-Sudden movements can upset dogs, if a strange dog is growling at you its best to back away slowly.
-The old saying let sleeping dogs lie is true. Don’t startle a dog that is sleeping.
-Dogs have a powerful sense of territory, and may become upset when someone unfamiliar threatens their space.
-Don’t try to disrupt a dog fight.
-Dogs have strong maternal instincts and if there are puppies you should be careful not to startle the mother (or any adult dog the area).
-Dogs can be confused about the cause of their own illness or pain; they might think it was the owner who caused the pain and bite.
-Dogs become afraid just like humans any dog can bite if it feels it is in danger.
-All dogs experience some form of possessiveness. Tread carefully if a dog is growling at you chances are you’re on his turf.
-Looking a dog in the eyes is seen as a challenging of dominance. If a dog is growling at you lower your eyes and back away slowly.
Preventing dog bites starts with the owner. If you have a dog you can reduce the risk that your dog might attack someone with some of these suggestions
.
-Have your dog spayed or neutered. Not only does it prevent many kinds of health problems later in life, it drastically reduces the aggression levels in male and female dogs.
-Start socializing your puppy at a young age. Get your puppy used to being in a busy and unfamiliar environment as soon as he is vaccinated.
-Invest in some kind of formal training program. This will give you an immense faith in your dog and strengthen the relationship between you two.
-Take your dog to the vet regularly and make sure all his vaccinations are always up to date. Get your dog licensed and keep up to date on all his paperwork.
-Never let your dog wander freely. Your dog should be contained on your property and you should be able to control his access to the street.
By following these very few and common sense steps you can reduce an attack or bites by a wide margin. Be a responsible owner and start working with your puppy or dog today.
Steve Allison is a third generation of professional dog breeders along with his brother Gary. It all started with his grandparents in 1970 with the Boston Terriers and has expanded to Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Shih Tzu’s and Pomeranians. He is also actively involved with dog rescue and has a website that showcases the puppies they occasionally has for sale at All My Puppies Online Steve is also the co-author of two consumer guides, Carpet Secrets and Moving Secrets Guide
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Posted by admin on March 21st, 2008 — Posted in Puppies + Pets
There are of course many reasons for owners to want a calm,
obedient and faithful shih tzu. For one thing, obedient and
trained shih tzus are happier shih tzus, less likely to get into
tussles with people or with other dogs. Another reason is that
many communities require that the dogs living in their
neighborhoods be well trained. This is especially true for many
breeds thought to have aggression and behavior problems - dog
breeds like pit bulls and rottweilers for instance.
And of course, training your shih tzu well will also make he or
she a much better family companion, especially in households
where there are young children. Many studies have shown that
proper dog training makes a big impact when it comes to cutting
down the number of dog bites and other behavior problems
encountered by dog owning households.
When considering training your own shih tzu, or having someone
else help you train it, there are certain basic commands that
must be mastered in order for a dog to be considered truly
trained. These basic commands include:
Heel - it is important that any shih tzu learn to walk beside
its owner on a loose lead, neither pulling ahead nor lagging
behind.
Respond to the word No - the word no is one word that all shih
tzu must learn. Training your shih tzu to respond to this
important word can save you a ton of trouble.
Sit - Training your shih tzu to sit on command is a vital part
of any dog training program.
Stay - A well trained shih tzu should remain where his or her
owner commands, so stay is a very important command in dog
training.
Down - Lying down on command is more than just a cute trick; it
is a key component of any successful dog training program.
Dog training does much more than just create an obedient,
willing shih tzu companion. Training your dog properly actually
strengthens the bond that already exists between dog and
handler. Dogs are pack animals, and they look to their pack
leader to tell them what to do. The key to successful dog
training is to set yourself up as that pack leader.
Establishing yourself as pack leader is a very important concept
for any potential dog trainer to understand. There is only one
leader in every pack of dogs, and the owner must establish him
or herself as the dominant animal. Failure to do so leads to all
manner of behavior problems.
A properly trained shih tzu will respond properly to all the
owner’s commands, and will not display anxiety, displeasure or
confusion. A good dog training program will focus on allowing
the dog to learn just what is expected of it, and will use
positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviors.
In addition to making the shih tzu a good member of the
community, obedience training is a great way to fulfill some of
the dog’s own needs, including the need for exercise, the
security that comes with knowing what is expected of it, a
feeling of accomplishment and a good working relationship with
its handler. Dog training gives the dog an important job to do,
and an important goal to reach.
Giving the shih tzu a job is more important than you may think.
Dogs were originally bred by humans to do important work, such
as herding sheep, guarding property and protecting people. Many
dogs today have no important job to do, and this can often lead
to boredom and neurotic behavior.
Basic obedience training, and ongoing training sessions, provide
the dog with an important job to do. This is especially
important for high energy breeds like German shepherds and
border collies. Training sessions are a great way for these high
energy dogs to use up their extra energy and simply to enjoy
themselves.
Incorporating playtime into your dog training sessions is a
great way to prevent both yourself and your shih tzu from
becoming bored. Playing with your shih tzu helps to strengthen
the all important bond between you - the pack leader - and your
shih tzu.
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Posted by admin on March 18th, 2008 — Posted in Puppies + Pets
I was working with my yearling Pooka. She is an Arab-Shire filly. She leads OK and is not afraid of us. She comes up to us when we enter the field and will let us pet her when she is lying down. So today I decided it was time to handle her feet.
Just do it…
I had a friend hold her lead rope while I started to touch her leg. I basically did the old approach and retreat working my way down to her hoof. This went well. I then tried to pick up her hoof and things did not go so well. She tried to move and jump around. I tried to hang on but she is about 500-600 lbs so in the long run, she won.
Plan B: Regroup and try again…
OK, so maybe I was a little quick to handle her feet. So, I decided to take it a bit slower. I took my lead rope (15 feet) and tossed it over her back repeatedly. She was OK with this as I had done this before with her. I then tossed the lead rope around her feet. I would swing the rope so it would wrap around her legs. She did not like this. Pooka would kick and try to get away. I would just keep tossing the rope and making sure her nose was pointing towards me, so I wouldn’t get kicked, until she stood still. Eventually she did. After a bit of a fight she stood still and all was OK. The rope around her legs did not kill her and she stood still while it happened.
Now it was time to pick up her leg. I took the lead rope and put it around her foot. So, basically I had this huge loop in my rope that went around her leg. If I dropped one end of the rope he leg would be free, just in case all hell broke loose. While keeping her nose pointed towards me I seesawed the rope back and forth all over the upper to lower parts of her leg. When Pooka was OK with this I pulled on the loop picking her foot up. She jumped around and kicked but I was safe, nose pointed towards me, and the rope felt no pain. Once she should stand still and let me hold her leg up for 2 seconds I would release the tension and let her put her leg down. I then worked up to 4 seconds and then 10. Once I could hold her leg up for 10 seconds I decided that it was time for me to pick up her hoof with my hand.
Finally (OK, only 20 minutes later)
After all this I again attempted to pick up her hoof with my hand. Wow, no problem. She let me pick it up. I would hold it for 2 seconds and let it go. Then 4 seconds. The 10 seconds. Then I took a pick and picked out her foot.
That was a good day for Pooka so I let her go on her way.
Todd Mera
Todd Mera is a Biochemist that has always had a love for horses. Todd started training horses in his 30s. He has worked with and trained many horse starting from birth and older problem horses.
http://www.EverythingEquus.com
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