Dog Trick Academy Library

Feeding your dog is the most fundamental way to care and to promote a healthy life for your dog. Good nutrition will help your dog fight diseases and to keep him healthy.

It is of no surprise that the majority of dog owners spend more money on dog food than any other expenses for their dog. But choosing a brand or type of dog food can sometimes be confusing. A dog food that has a label “Premium”, “Premium Ultra”, or “Holistic” does not guarantee that the food was prepared using high quality ingredients. So the more you know about commercial dog foods and what the label means, then it become easier for you to choose the best brand for your dog.

There are basically two choices of commercial dog foods. There is either the kibble type or the canned type dog foods. Both contain mostly the same ingredients, but the kibble type had the water removed through the process of extrusion or baking. This gives the dog food a crunchy appeal while at the same time ensuring a long shelf life. The water is kept in canned dog foods, so it must be sealed in a can to keep it fresh. (more…)

A service dog is a type of assistance dog, specifically trained to help people with physical mobility limitations to reach high or low places, or open doors and turn on the lights. Other duties may include moving wet laundry to the dryer, or they may help in public by pulling a wheelchair up a steep incline.

Other service dogs may also be trained to detect medical problems and to warn the authorities. Some does have been trained to warn their handlers of seizures before they happen and to contact the medical emergencies by pushing a button (already preset to contact). (more…)

In today’s world, we are often told by our veterinarians that dogs are susceptible to many illnesses, infections and diseases.

In this article, I will talk in details about the well known disease known as canine heartworms. (more…)

It is truly amazing to see that all dogs from all over the world has learned to communicate with each other using a universal language. Whether you are from China, Europe or Mexico, all dogs communicate the same way. They communicate their moods and feelings by giving out signals with their body.

An encounter with a dog can be a lovely experience or a very bad one, totally depending on how well you interpret his body language. (more…)

There are many different kinds of leashes on the market today; each one has its own practical and aesthetic appeal. When shopping for a leash, you will need to consider your dog’s size and age. Keep in mind that small dogs and puppies should have light weight leashes while larger dogs should have stronger and heavier leashes.

There are different lengths of leashes available; the majority of leashes come in 4-foot, 6-foot or 8-foot lengths. For training purposes, a 6-foot length leash is ideal and recommended. The longer leashes are used when your training requires you to be at a distance from your dog. (more…)

Dogs have learned throughout their many years of existence that they must protect their resources, such as food, in order to survive. They’ve learned that they could easily keep other dogs from eating their food by growling, showing teethes, snapping or even biting other dogs that came too close to their food. (more…)

Article written by Bipa.

I am always upset when I hear or read stories about perfectly good puppies being ruined by over-aggressive training techniques aimed at making a pup submit to the owner. There is absolutely no basis for most of this bullying. In nature, it is actually quite the opposite! Puppies have a so-called “puppy license” for the first 4 or 5 months. During this time, older dogs will let them get away with all sorts of puppy behaviour without retaliation. If the older dog doesn’t feel like playing with the pup, then he will often just get up and move away, or else give a quick verbal signal that he isn’t interested. Only once this “puppy license” has expired do the pups start getting real lessons in manners from the other dogs.

During her seminars, Patricia McConnell often shows two videos of Bailey, a beautiful golden retriever pup. In the first video, Bailey is perhaps 4 months old, and is chewing on a child’s stuffed toy. The woman owner tries to get the toy away from the dog by using outdated “dominance” techniques such as grabbing the puppy by the scruff of the neck and trying to make it submit to her. Errr…guys…. This is a retriever! They are mouthy dogs and by their nature love to chew on stuff. So can anyone guess what happens after a month or two of such “training”? (more…)

A new puppy is an exciting addition to a family. They are adorable and warm. They snuggle and cuddle and seem to do everything right. Unfortunately, this is not all there is to puppies. Puppies are a lot of work, and they don’t stay little and cute forever. Are you sure you’re ready for a puppy? (more…)

New puppies are so exciting we often forget just how much work they grow to be. If you have a dog, be sure you are giving him the care and love he needs to thrive in your home and bring you as much joy as possible. (more…)

You’ve seen your pet pawing, yipping and even barking in his sleep. Every time it happens you wonder if your faithful dog could be dreaming. We’d like to think that our beloved pets are able to enjoy the fun and mystery of dreams, but we’re not sure if the brains of dogs work the same way ours do. Do dogs dream? (more…)