Herbal Treatment for Dog That Should Be Avoided

Herbal treatment for dog bridges the gap between nutrition and physical well-being. Full of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fat, herbs play an important role in the dog's diet.

However, there are herbal treatments for dog that should be avoided or at least used with caution.

1) Black Walnut - This herbal treatment for dog should only be used under the direction of an experienced veterinary herbalist. Common side effects are: vomiting, diarrhea and potential serious digestive upsets. Consumption of the walnut hull has caused death in some dogs who have consumed black walnuts in their environment.

2) Comfrey - This herbal treatment for dog should again be used under the direct supervision of a veterinary herbalist. Even at proper doses, alkaloids present in comfrey may cause liver failure in small dogs if used for weeks or months, or if an undetected liver problem exists.

3) Ephedra - This herbal remedy should never be used alone and only use under a direct supervision of an experienced veterinary herbalist. It is known to adversely effect unrecognized heart or respiratory disease and may elevate blood pressure.

4) Garlic - Garlic should not be given to anemic dogs, or to puppies less than 8 weeks of age.

5) Gingko - Avoid use before any surgical procedure and avoid use with drugs that can effect blood clotting (aspirin). It can cause excessive bleeding during surgery.

6) Pennyroyal - The oil is very strong and can cause death. Use the whole herb topically only and with great caution. Pregnant or nursing dogs and puppies should not be exposed even to topical applications or herbal collars.

7) Red Clover - Do not use this herbal treatment for dogs with clotting problems, when there is active bleeding, or if surgery is anticipated. It contains coumarin - an anticlot, or blood-thinning compound.

8) St. John's Wort - May cause sun-induced skin rash when given to dogs with very light coats and fair skin.

9) Tea Tree Oil - this herbal medicine for dog should avoided on small animals. Use only topically and in diluted form on medium and larger dogs. 

Australian Shepherd Training: Common Mistakes Owners Make

Though they are famous for being kind, loving and loyal to their owners, the Australian Shepherd is not your ordinary house pet. They possess some qualities that can make them a bit challenging to deal with particularly if not provided with the much-needed Australian Shepherd training. Without such training, this working dog with amazing herding skill is more likely to cause annoyance and regret than happiness.

This breed has a reputation as extremely intelligent breed so training shouldn’t be a pain in the neck. But same with any other breeds, an owner may come across some issues that could definitely impact the training outcome and the dog’s behavior.

First most typical mistake is waiting for the puppy to grow older before the training starts. Puppies might have short attention span but it is during this time that they learn effectively considering that they have not developed bad habits yet. If you will wait for the puppy to grow older, you are simply giving it the chance to learn several improper habits that are difficult to break.

Another common mistake owners make is utilizing physical punishment to correct the dog’s behavior. Dog experts do not discourage using physical punishment for nothing. Notably, this form of correction brings about more harm than good. Smacking, rubbing the nose on the mess or crating for longer period of time may lead to fear, aggressive behavior and many others. It is best to make use of other Australian Shepherd training methods than this.

Bad habits develop if the pet always gets away from its mistakes. Several canine owners are guilty of this mistake too. They believe that dogs are too cute and hilarious thus first offense can be easily ignored. However, first offense can potentially result in rare offense and later on constant offense until it has developed into a habit. To prevent this from taking place, correction must be carried out the first time your pet made a mistake.

If bad behavior mustn’t be neglected, good behavior ought to be granted the same attention. Recognizing your pet’s behavior by rewarding it for such good manners is one amazing strategy to encourage it to repeat the behavior he is being rewarded for. By rewarding your family pet, be it with treats or praise, you’re making it aware that you’re pleased with the behavior hence it’ll repeat the behavior when needed in order to get rewards again.

Australian Shepherd training is an important part of every dog and owner’s life. It teaches these four-legged companions how to behave appropriately for them to become well-behaved dogs everybody love to be around. But in order to attain such result, these mistakes ought to be amended as soon as possible.

Jennifer Powell loves to write articles about Australian Shepherds and Australian Shepherd training. To read her articles and tips, check out her site filled with Australian Shepherd training tips.

Seven Top Puppy Training Tips Just For New Dog Owners

Once new pet owners have gotten beyond the excitement and novelty associated with a puppy, the idea of how to train a new dog appears.

Listed here are seven tips that will direct you toward training excellence.

1. Get started without delay. Do not wait until your dog gets to some magical age. Whether you want it or not, your puppy is discovering his surroundings and studying how you will react to his behaviors. He is seeking guidance regarding how the rules work in your home, and so ensure that you are sending the proper signs. 
2. Stay consistent. Take into consideration exactly what phrases you’re going to employ for the various dog commands. How are planning to release your puppy? Do you want to use treats or not? Make certain all people that will be a part of the training is reading from the same page and your puppy will be trained much quicker. 
3. Plan ahead. Taking a couple of moments beforehand to prepare when, what, and how you will teach your dog can make your instruction smoother and more thorough. Just as you wouldn’t like your kid’s teacher creating lessons as she went along, show your pet’s instruction some forethought. 
4. Use bite size treats. In the event that you’re going to use treats as an incentive for positive conduct, make sure that you use really small amounts. A lot of of a good thing in such cases can be very negative. Providing your dog a lot of treats will lead to weight problems as time passes. 
5.  Show patience. Your puppy will make plenty of errors, and so will anyone for that matter. It’s okay. Be sympathetic, and start out slowly. Allow yourself permission to be less than perfect, and provide exactly the same courtesy to your pooch. Conduct the training sessions in a relaxed atmosphere in which you will not be under any kind of time constraints. 
6. Keep sessions quick. During a new owner’s enthusiasm, you might try to keep going when your puppy does especially well. Don’t. Teach for a few minutes, and then do something different. It is preferable to do a number of brief training periods during the day, than to try and bunch tons of learning all at once. 
7.  Get the correct tools. Consider employing a dog clicker to aid with training, since a number of studies indicate that it can trim down instruction time by a third. In addition, learn about the different types of collars for dogs, and select the best for you. Last but not least, look into puppy training classes and aids that can enhance what you are instructing at home.

For more puppy training tips, visit Michael’s blog, and get great information on housebreaking a puppy and other tricky dog problems.