Bedding is very important for a dog, especially a puppy which has just been taken away from its mother. In fact, if you can arrange it, it is a good idea to leave a blanket with your puppy when it is still with its mother and siblings, that way the blanket will remind him of home, which will be a big comfort to it in its early days of loneliness.

The best material to use for your blanket is wool. Wool is absorbent and so holds some moisture and smells, which will help the animal feel at more home. Wool is also pretty tough and warm, not that warmth is really a major concern for a dog that lives in the house.

There is no need to purchase a special blanket for your dog. You can cut down an old blanket of your own, a metre square is roughly right. This is big enough for any dog, will fit in a dog basket comfortably and is yet not too large to go in the washing machine every couple of of months. If you do not want to run to the expense of using a blanket of wool, you could make use of an old towel, since towels are also absorbent.

Most dog owners allow their pets to sleep in the house and some even allow their dog to sleep on the bed. If you allow your dog to sleep in the house, it is best not to give food to him after about six or seven o’clock or you will have to let him out or take him out late at night.

It is better to feed your dog twice a day than only once and be careful of leaving food down all day, particularly if there is no-one at home during the day to let him out.

If you choose to leave your dog in the garden all day and night, you will have to provide even more shelter for him. A kennel or dog house is the best way of doing this. A kennel ought to have a wooden floor which is a couple of inches above the ground.

You could put a couple of inches of straw in the kennel for your dog to make his bed and you can put a blanket or two in there as well. Do not worry about what you think it should look like, your dog knows best in these matters. If you can not run to either blankets or towels, believe it or not your dog will be just as pleased with crumpled up sheets of newspaper for bedding. Newspaper is soft, absorbent and astonishingly warm, which is why tramps use it. It is also cheap and easy to replace when it becomes dirty after rainfall.

A dog instinctively tries to form a nest to sleep in. I am sure that you will have noticed that dogs walk around in a circle three times before lying down. This is to flatten the grass before lying down and they do it whether there is grass underneath them or not. If you supply some kind of bedding he will not be wasting his time.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with Personalized Throw Blankets. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Woollen Blankets.

Ask any satisfied pet owner and they will tell you the same thing- delicious homemade dog treats are the best way to a healthy and happy pet. This is not to say all commercial pet food are bad-there are some good brands available in the grocery store; but homemade is still better. So are you ready to make some treats? You will know how to make dog treats by the time you finish this article.

Before anything else, have your pet examined by a licensed veterinarian. You need to know the condition of his health so you can make necessary adjustments in his meals. Does the animal have a health issue that warrants a specific diet modification? You can make it in such a way that you find recipes that include food with the needed nutrients in his snacks.

Decide on the kind of treats you want to make for the dog. Generally you can choose if you want the sweet variety or the more savory treats. When you decide on what you want, make sure that the recipe you have does not contain ingredients that are harmful to canines. You can look up these toxic food substances and post it in your kitchen.

After, it’s time to prepare the things you need. What are you putting in your culinary creations? Any kind of meat should be good except for salmon and raw fish. Salmon has been said to have caused infections in canines on a number of cases. Organ meat like liver is good; however, you must serve it in measured amounts. Too much of liver results in vitamin A toxicity.

If you want to put in fruits for the added vitamins, you can. However, avoid grapes, apricots, peaches, cherries and avocados. Some of the seeds of these fruits activate cyanide poisoning. Why not also buy special canine related cookie cutters and molds? It makes your treats even more interesting and more than that-other people might find it fun and would want to order some from you as well.

Now you have everything prepared, it’s time to get some cooking done! Do what the recipe tells you to do-boil, bake, toast or assemble the food together. When cooking meat, take out all the bones as these bones splinter when cooked. Otherwise, the canine might choke on his snack. Chop up these goodies in small pieces so it will be easy to chew and enjoy.

So now you’re done making the treats-what next? It is a good idea to make a few extra batches of the treats and keep them to save on time and money. Store the homemade treats in a sealed bag and keep them in the freezer until you need them. Make sure you defrost before you serve it to your eager pets-chilled teeth will make it harder to enjoy yummy food.

Now you know how to make dog treats-it’s pretty simple right? Just about anybody can do it. Go ahead and start applying what you just learned today.

Discover how to make dog food? You can find out about this and other fantastic homemade dog treats at HealthyHappyDogs.com-the site where your pet is tops

Have you ever thought about what ?crate training dogs? mean? To me, it sounds like something I would never voluntarily subject my dog to. As I read about it though, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was actually a training method used for dogs which was based on their innate need for security and protection.

It is said that wolves are the dogs’ ancestors of old. This may or may not be factual but it still stands true that dogs are animals who lived in the open spaces before we adopted them into our homes. In the wild where there are dangers and perils at every turn- these dogs found caves and dens as a shelter and nesting area. This is the foundation of training dogs to use their crates in stressful and overly busy environments

This method greatly helps in house training dogs by containing them in their own area – thus minimizing the possibility of them causing any damage to anyone or anything including themselves. Crate training not only give the dogs a haven from a busy household, it siginificantly decreases inconvenience and stress of their human counterparts. They can put the dogs in the crates during long travels or trips to the vets without much trouble.

Not all animals should be crate trained. Some dogs have had serious trauma in homes before and will get hysterical when placed in a confined box. It is advisable to not follow through if this is the case. Other dogs that are large will break the crate they are contained in and hurt themselves in their panic. There are some pet owners who are still uncomfortable, no matter what facts are presented to them, with the thought of putting their living pets inside a box.

Crate training dogs depends largely on how the dog owner feels about the matter at hand. If a dog in a box is distressing to you then don’t push through with this. However, if you feel that you and your dog will be better off having some space and disciple that crate training can give you, then continue reading this article for helpful tips on the best way to go about doing this.

You need to put the crate in a room where there will be activities and people. Make sure the enclosure you’ve chosen is a good size and put some of his favorite treats and toys inside it. When you guide your dog in, do not close the door just yet. For a few days just pet him and talk to him reassuringly through the crate. Begin feeding him while he is inside. If you feel he is already quite accustomed to the space, close the door for a few minutes while you are in the room. If the dog reacts violently or cries, wait for him to stop before letting him out. It is a new and often frightening experience for the pet so be patient and do not rush him with this.

For crate training to be successful, never use it as a form of punishment to the dog. This should be a place he seeks out to be safe and calm. If the dog is finally accustomed to being alone in the crate, you can try leaving the house in short intervals and see how he reacts to this. If there is no trouble, then you have a crate trained dog in your hands. Now you have freedom from constantly being anxious of your pet’s situation. More than that, your dog has found a haven of peace and security he can go to to escape from all of life’s stress and busyness.

Geraldine Dimarco knows that dog obedience training is a invaluable tool for all pet owners. You can avail of free access on Advanced Obedience today.