In case you weren't aware how awesome Fall is, we've made this important video of the cutest Golden Retriever puppies playing in a field of pumpkins.

CAUTION: If you already DO believe that Fall is the best season, your love for it is about to grow exponentially, causing you to squeal with excitement upon seeing these fluffy rays of sunshine and wish you were there to snuggle and frolic with them.

You've been warned! Enjoy.

House Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog

House training a puppy or adult dog is such an essential issue for his owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your dog fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.
 

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult dog. I enumerate these below:

• You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.
• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals – as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.
• Take your dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard, and then, to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.
• Praise your dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some dog owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.
• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.
• Until your dog has been fully potty trained, keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.
• Use a crate. A crate-trained dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.
• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. This means to create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.
• Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him, as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do (but be consistent). It will startle the dog enough for him to stop pooping.
• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your dog home alone for more than 4 hours, as separation anxiety is quite common among home-alone dogs.
• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult dog to work against his house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.
• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your dog has marked.
• If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good house-trained dog.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.
 

Potty Training a Puppy

 
Irrespective of breeds, house training a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think house training your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers or puppy pads, then think again.
 

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until he is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult dog.
 

After each nap, meal, drink or playtime, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until he eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.
 

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.
 

Potty Training an Adult Dog

The best way to house train an adult dog is to begin all over again.
 

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can, time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.
 

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.
 

Remember: Commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly house-trained dog. Don't expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.
 

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Get this unique house training guide and start house-breaking your dog today.
 

Copyright © 2009 TrainPetDog.com
 

Ever wonder which are the most popular puppy dog names? Take a look at the top puppy names on our list – a list of over 5,000 puppy dog names!

Don't agree with the rankings? Click on the heart beside the name and vote it up. And if you don't see your puppy's name, please submit a new one. We want to make this puppy name list the best around.

At last, a smoking gun ... discovered pointing directly at Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Maltese, Yorkies and other small dogs ... in fact, pointed at all dogs receiving multiple vaccines during one clinic visit.

Many scientific studies and taskforce reports have altered my view of vaccination over the years, but none have stunned me as much as "Adverse events diagnosed within three days of vaccine administration in dogs" by Drs. Moore, Guptill, Ward, et al. This two-year study of vaccine reactions (from data gathered at 360 Banfield clinics in 2002 and 2003) concluded: "Young adult small-breed neutered dogs that received multiple vaccines per office visit were at greatest risk of a VAAE [Vaccine Associated Adverse Event] within 72 hours after vaccination." And that's not all the report revealed.

In the study (published in JAVMA, the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association in October, 2005), 1.2 million dogs received almost 3.5 million vaccine doses. Reactions reported within 3 days (as designated by computer codes) included nonspecific vaccine reactions, allergic reactions, urticaria (hives), anaphylaxis (severe, whole-body allergic reaction), cardiac arrest, cardiovascular shock and sudden death. For each 10,000 dogs vaccinating, 38 adverse reactions were reported.

You're probably thinking: just 38 reactions per 10,000 dogs? That's not too bad. But bear in mind that this study did NOT include:

• Reactions reported more than 72 hours after vaccination (thus eliminating reactions taking longer to develop or be discovered, such as injection site cancers, autoimmune diseases, skin diseases and other major conditions);
• Reactions that occurred but were never reported by clients;
• Conditions not recognized by the vet as vaccine reactions;
• Conditions not selected for this study (seizures weren't on the list, nor were countless other common reactions);
• Conditions not recorded by the vet. The 2007 World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Vaccine Guidelines reports "gross under-reporting of vaccine-associated adverse events...";
• Reactions in dogs also getting a heartworm shot, presumably because of the increased risk of reaction (currently, vets are warned not to give Proheart 6 with a vaccination).

The study's researchers (6 of 7 were vets) recommended that veterinarians should communicate the increased risk of multiple vaccines to clients before obtaining their consent to vaccinate. At this writing, a full four years after the study's publication, I suspect few clients have actually been warned about the risk of multiples vaccines at one visit or about special risks to smaller dogs. Were you ever warned?

Factors Increasing the Risk of the Vaccine Adverse Reaction

Body Weight. The reaction rate increased significantly as body weight decreased. That is, small dogs were at greatest risk for a reaction. Risk for dogs weighing 11 pounds or less was four times greater than the risk for dogs weighing 99+ pounds. Medium-sized dogs also had increased risk over larger dogs.

For all vaccines and for the rabies vaccine given alone, the reaction rate for dogs weighing 22.2 to 99 lbs. was approximately half the rate of dogs weighing less than 22.0 lbs. Little dogs had 32+ reactions per 10,000; medium-sized dogs, 15+; large dogs, none.

Neutering/Spaying. Neutered dogs had a 27% to 38% greater risk versus sexually intact dogs.

Age. Dogs 1.5 to 2.5 years of age had a 35% to 64% greater risk of reactions (with rates increasing up to two years and declining thereafter) than puppies 2 to 9 months old. The risk was least for dogs six years of age and older.

Number of vaccines per office visit. The risk significantly increased as the number of vaccines given at each visit increased. In little dogs (under 10 lbs.) each dose increased risks by 27%; in dogs weighing more, each dose increased risk by 12%.

Taking all dogs into consideration, each additional vaccine given at each office visit increased the rate of vaccine reaction by 24.2%. All three dogs in the study with recorded deaths had each received four or more vaccines at their last office visit.

Three or more vaccines given at once increase the risk of a vaccine reaction 50% over the risk of a single shot. Giving five simultaneous vaccines doubles the risk!

Breed. Among breeds with 5,000 or more dogs vaccinated during the study period, the most vaccine reactions per 10,000 dogs were found, in order: in Dachshunds, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Miniature Pinschers and Chihuahuas. Next came Maltese, Miniature Schnausers, Jack Russells, Toy Poodles and Yorkshire Terriers. Mid-size dogs (like Lhasa Apsos, Bichons and Beagles) followed. At the bottom of the list was Chow Chows, German Shepherds and Rottweilers.

Purebred Status. The vaccination reaction rate for mixed-breed dogs was in the bottom fifth of all rates. The researchers state: "safety trials that use such dogs may underestimate the reaction rates that would occur in purebred dogs."

Why Does a Dog's Weight Have Such a Big Impact?

The researchers report: "Vaccines, in contrast to virtually all veterinary pharmaceuticals, are prescribed on a one-dose-fits-all basis, rather than by body weight."

I have always been shocked that a Chihuahua puppy and an adult Great Dane are given the same dose shot: 1 ml. They get the same volume of virus or bacteria plus the same volume of adjuvants (boosting agents like aluminum), preservatives (like mercury), antibiotics, stabilizers and foreign tissue cultures (like fetal calf serum). All these ingredients are known to cause vaccine reactions. (Learn more about vaccine ingredients at the CDC.)

The study's researchers go on to say that during a vaccine's pre-licensing trial, manufacturers investigate the safety of excessive doses of vaccines "but only in a limited number of dogs. The results of this study suggest that trials in dogs that weigh [22 lbs.] underestimate the expected VAAE rate in smaller dogs."

The risk of a vaccine reaction in this study population was inversely related to a dog's weight. This weight/response relationship was also suggested by a study in which toy breeds had significantly more reactions than other dogs, although body weight was not evaluated.

How Do You Avoid Reactions to Vaccines?

The study detailed here reports the problems, but not the remedy. They only recommend that veterinarians advise clients of the risks.

Regrettably, I have been unable to find you a link to the study on-line. Your vet may have on-line access if he/she subscribes to JAVMA (J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2005 Oct 1;227(7):1102-8). You can read a short summary or have your non-subscribing vet request the article for a small fee at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16220670 or http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.227.1102?journalCode=javma.

Note: A smaller study for cats entitled "Adverse events after vaccine administration in cats" turned up similar results to the dog study.

If your vet gives multiple shots in a visit, you should insist that he/she read this study. If your vet has already read it, he/she should explain to you why you weren't informed of the risks to your dog of multiple shots, especially if your dog was small or medium sized.

Please sign up for notification of future articles and our free dog care e-newsletter (delivered quarterly). Follow K9Author at Twitter.

This is an important study. Please bookmark this article and send it to friends.

Related articles:
Visit our new Web site just on vaccination: www.truth4pets.org.

Watch our new video on pet vaccine reactions:

• Combination Shots for Dogs: Weapons of Over-Vaccination
• Titer Test: Don't Vaccinate Your Dog Unnecessarily
• Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots
• Vaccinating Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & Vaccine Failure

House Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog

House training a puppy or adult dog is such an essential issue for his owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your dog fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.
 

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult dog. I enumerate these below:

• You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.
• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals – as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.
• Take your dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard, and then, to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.
• Praise your dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some dog owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.
• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.
• Until your dog has been fully potty trained, keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.
• Use a crate. A crate-trained dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.
• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. This means to create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.
• Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him, as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do (but be consistent). It will startle the dog enough for him to stop pooping.
• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your dog home alone for more than 4 hours, as separation anxiety is quite common among home-alone dogs.
• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult dog to work against his house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.
• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your dog has marked.
• If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good house-trained dog.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.
 

Potty Training a Puppy

 
Irrespective of breeds, house training a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think house training your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers or puppy pads, then think again.
 

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until he is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult dog.
 

After each nap, meal, drink or playtime, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until he eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.
 

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.
 

Potty Training an Adult Dog

The best way to house train an adult dog is to begin all over again.
 

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can, time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.
 

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.
 

Remember: Commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly house-trained dog. Don't expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.
 

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Get this unique house training guide and start house-breaking your dog today.
 

Copyright © 2009 TrainPetDog.com
 

A trainer friend came in the door looking haggard. Her new client puppy cried off and on all night crated in her kitchen. "I'm exhausted" she said, stating the obvious.

She got a hug then this advice, "Put the puppy's crate next to your bed."

She looked surprised. "I've always heard I should let them cry it out." she stated.

That is common advice and I used to say it, too. I was wrong.

Allowing your new puppy to sleep near you for a week or so makes things epically easier for everyone. Here are the benefits:

• You sleep which is critical to you being the sort of puppy person you planned on being.
• You can hear when your pup gets restless so can take them to their potty area before the crate is wet or the pup is upset.
• Your pup gets to bond more to you.
• Your family and spouse isn't stressed by the constant crying.
• Ditto your neighbors, if you have some close by.
• Your puppy gets critical rest after the stress of changing homes, leaving the litter, etc.

The pup in this story had been spayed the week before at 8 weeks, been vaccinated, flown across the country, landed in a new home for two days, been given a heartworm preventative, flea and tick treated and wormed for parasites all before coming to my friend. All that totals up to an assault on her tiny system and I advised quiet and lots of sleep for the next few days, at least, to give her little body a chance to recover.

It was the day after the Fourth of July, a day that is always traumatic for so many of America's pets, and a day that is always extremely busy for animal shelter personnel and pet rescuers. Despite all of the pleas and the warnings for people to keep their pets safe and secure on the Fourth, hundreds of terrified pets run off each and every year and become lost and panic stricken during our nation's numerous fireworks celebrations. And so very sadly, many of them never find their way home again.

This past Independence Day was no exception. After helping to round up several terrified dogs in our neighborhood, I received a phone call asking me if I could pick up a frightened Pit Bull being held at a police station and then return him to his owner. On my way out the door to fetch him, I soon spotted a small brown blur racing down a street near my home, and I immediately gave chase.

I quickly discovered that this canine was a tiny Chihuahua that looked extremely terrified as she desperately raced all around our neighborhood in search of some kind of shelter. And when she spotted me chasing her, her panic only increased, and she quickly hid behind a garbage can in an alley.

I quickly grabbed a discarded cardboard box from a nearby trash can and I managed to push her into it without getting bitten – she was snapping at me in utter terror now, and shaking uncontrollably.

Little Lupita

When we finally reached the safety of my backyard, I opened the box and she immediately scurried under an evergreen bush, still extremely traumatized. She was also extremely thirsty. When I placed some food and water near the bush, she raced out, gulped the water down, and quickly raced back to cover.

This terrified little run-away stayed under that bush in my yard for the next three days, and she would cringe and shake in absolute terror whenever I attempted to pet her. It took a few more days before she finally calmed down enough to let me touch her. But once this happened, she now became a completely different dog. Now, she wanted to be constantly held and comforted after her lengthy and terrifying Fourth of July ordeal.

And now, when I finally got the chance to examine her, I discovered the deep rope burns around her neck. I immediately decided that she had been tied up outside somewhere during all the fireworks, and that she had frantically freed herself and bolted off into the night.

The next morning, when I took her to the vet, I got quite a surprise. "This little girl is pregnant! I'd say she's due in about a month!"

So, I brought her back home, and I now spent the next several days attempting to find her owner – she had no collar, no tags, no microchip, and apparently, no one was looking for her. My wife soon named her 'Lupita' and she quickly became a member of our ever expanding animal orphan household. Lupita also now insisted on sleeping on my chest every night. And about four weeks later, I became her birthing assistant.

She woke me at 5 A.M. that morning, nervously pacing and panting all about the house. At 5:30 A.M., she gave birth to her first tiny pup. I soon discovered that she couldn't bite off the umbilical cord – so I helped her with that.

An hour later, she delivered her second child, and I cut this one's umbilical cord, too. It took another long hour for the next one to arrive, and so very sadly, her third little one was still-born. Little Lupita and I were both extremely sad now, and I thought that her difficult delivery was finally over.

Lupita's Puppies

But an hour later, she surprised my wife and I with her fourth and final offspring, and my spouse did the honors with this puppy's umbilical cord.

Little Lupita turned out to be an excellent canine mother, and my spouse and I soon fell in love with her three adorable pups, too.

I buried her still-born baby under the cherry tree in our backyard that morning, and these days I often find Lupita sprawled out there in the grass next to its grave.

Whenever we watch television, little Lupita insists on curling up on one of our laps. And each and every night, she crawls into our bed and dives under the covers.

Lupita is an extremely happy, healthy and affectionate little dog these days, but she still becomes extremely panic stricken whenever there's a thunderstorm, and whenever she hears any kind of fireworks. I doubt that she'll ever lose this fear of loud noises, but I can't say that I blame her after the terrifying nightmare she went through.

Please safeguard your own pets this coming Fourth of July Independence Day.

Source: Harmony Fund
©2012 Ed Kostro

An attempt to bury nine puppies alive Saturday at a construction site in western North Dakota failed when another person heard the dogs' cries.

Local animal rescue operation Prairie Paws Rescue teamed up with other animal rescue organizations in North Dakota and Minnesota to help the black-and-white pups, all of whom survived their experience.

"It was a long night last night, but they're all okay," said Becky Johnson, co-founder of Prairie Paws, who spent Saturday night caring for the pups.

First, they were brought to law enforcement in Tioga, and then brought to Minot. Another volunteer brought them to Harvey, N.D., where Johnson picked them up and brought them to Jamestown.

From there, the puppies were transported to Coco's Heart Dog Rescue in St. Paul, which has more resources to help care for them than Prairie Paws does, Johnson said.

"We don't have the volunteer resources that can bottle-feed nine puppies for four weeks," she explained.

Most likely, rescuers will also look for surrogate moms for the pups. It will probably be eight weeks before they are ready to be adopted, but they are considered to be highly adoptable.

The identity of the owner who tried to kill the nine pups is known, and it is expected that charges will be brought against him, Johnson said.

Prairie Paws' resources are somewhat stretched because the organization is also assisting the James River Humane Society with its Friday rescue of 28 dogs – a number likely to rise because one of the dogs was pregnant and ready to deliver as of Sunday evening.

Those dogs were rescued from a hoarding situation in New Rockford, N.D. The JRHS received the initial call from law enforcement, and Prairie Paws was going to assist with evaluating the situation.

"When we got there, (we found that) it's the hoarding case that Prairie Paws has been working on for two years," Johnson said. "...they moved to New Rockford."

Johnson estimated that 100 dogs had been removed from the hoarder's home over the years, generally at his own request and in groups of 10 to 20.

This time, however, law enforcement was involved – and that owner gave permission for rescuers to take all the remaining dogs.

Currently, they are being housed at the Humane Society, and while their health will be evaluated individually on Monday it is already clear that many of the dogs will need medical care, as well as neutering and spaying, Johnson said.

"They will all need shots. At least half of them will need to be treated for mange," she said.

Mange, a condition resulting in grayish, itchy skin, is not contagious, and can be treated with dips, medicated shampoo and shots – likely at a cost of $100 or more per dog.

Some of the dogs previously taken from this particular hoarder – such as Lady Bird, another dachshund rescued in October 2011 – were also afflicted with mange, but made a full recovery over time.

This time, the group of dogs includes one Chihuahua, one Pomeranian and one springer spaniel, as well as a contingent of dachshunds ranging in age from the expected newborns to about 8 years old.

While the dogs are a bit skittish around people they don't know, they have been socialized and are friendly once they get to know people, Johnson said.

"A lot of these dogs will be taken to other rescues," Johnson explained. "Our community cannot take an influx of that many dogs of the same breed ... we just don't have the space or the means to be able to take them."

Some, however, will stay in the region, and they will need foster families and lots of supplies – cleaning supplies, comfort items for dogs, rawhide chews, small collars and small leashes.

Donating money is best, because it can be put toward whatever is needed, and people can even sponsor a dog's shots or a medicated dip.

Prepaid gas cards are also of great assistance to rescue operations, as transportation is a big expense for them.

Johnson's overnight puppy-sitting adventure included the gas money required to get the nine pups from Harvey to Jamestown, along with the $50 of milk she fed them.

And if only half of the dachshunds require care for mange, that will cost $1,400, plus the expenses for neutering or spaying all of them, along with any other medical care they need.

For more information about Prairie Paws, or to donate to the organization, visit prairiepawsrescue.com or call (701) 320-4553.

House Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog

House training a puppy or adult dog is such an essential issue for his owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your dog fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.
 

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult dog. I enumerate these below:

• You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.
• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals – as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.
• Take your dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard, and then, to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.
• Praise your dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some dog owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.
• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.
• Until your dog has been fully potty trained, keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.
• Use a crate. A crate-trained dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.
• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. This means to create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.
• Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him, as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do (but be consistent). It will startle the dog enough for him to stop pooping.
• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your dog home alone for more than 4 hours, as separation anxiety is quite common among home-alone dogs.
• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult dog to work against his house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.
• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your dog has marked.
• If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good house-trained dog.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.
 

Potty Training a Puppy

 
Irrespective of breeds, house training a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think house training your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers or puppy pads, then think again.
 

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until he is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult dog.
 

After each nap, meal, drink or playtime, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until he eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.
 

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.
 

Potty Training an Adult Dog

The best way to house train an adult dog is to begin all over again.
 

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can, time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.
 

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.
 

Remember: Commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly house-trained dog. Don't expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.
 

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Get this unique house training guide and start house-breaking your dog today.
 

Copyright © 2009 TrainPetDog.com
 

Studies have found that spayed or neutered dogs are at increased risks for problems including certain cancers, thyroid disorder, incontinence and some of the same behavior issues that the surgeries are said to prevent.

As legislators push for more mandatory spay and neuter laws for pets as young as 4 and 6 months in hopes of reducing the number of unwanted animals, critics are crying foul over research showing that such surgeries may raise certain health risks in dogs and therefore shouldn't be required.

Studies have shown that dogs that undergo spaying (removal of the ovaries and uterus) or neutering (removal of the testicles) are at increased risks for certain cancers, thyroid disorder, incontinence and some of the same behavior issues, such as aggression, that the surgeries are said to prevent.
 
Most of these problems aren't common to begin with, and the increased risks can depend on the type of dog and the age the surgery is performed. Still, the findings are leading some experts to say that, contrary to conventional wisdom, later spay/neuter surgery for dogs, and even vasectomies for male canines, may be better options for some animals, depending on such factors as breed and lifestyle.
 
The American Veterinary Medical Association has not taken a stand on spay/neuter legislation, but the American College of Theriogenologists, a group of veterinary reproduction specialists that advises the AVMA, is considering a position paper opposing the legislation at its meeting in St. Louis in August, says veterinarian John Hamil of Laguna Beach, Calif., a member of the group's task force that looked at the issue.

"What they're saying is that because there have been problems associated with spay/neuter surgery, they think it's improper for it to be mandated, much less at an early age," says Hamil. "They feel the decision should be made after discussion between the owner and veterinarian."
 
Proponents of spay/neuter legislation say it's a way to reduce the numbers of animals in shelters and cut down on euthanasia rates. They also cite the health and behavior benefits of the procedures, such as prevention of mammary cancer, spraying and marking territory, and roaming.

Patty Khuly, a veterinarian in Miami, says a better solution to control the animal population than mandatory spay/neutering by a certain age is to offer the surgeries at lower costs so more pet owners can afford them and get them done according to a veterinarian's recommendations.

"I don't believe that the fourth month is a reasonable window," she says. "Most veterinarians would agree on that. I think low-cost spay/neuter, making it more available, is the solution, as opposed to mandating a time frame, especially when we don't know the real impact of early spay/neuter."
 
For more than a decade, the cities of San Mateo and Belmont in California have required sterilization of most cats and dogs more than 6 months old. But more attention is being paid to the pros and cons of pet sterilization now because of a recent spate of legislation that has been passed or introduced.

Los Angeles, for instance, passed an ordinance requiring cats and dogs more than 4 months old to be neutered or spayed by October or risk fines up to $500. Palm Beach, Fla., and North Las Vegas also have approved such measures, and dozens more cities and counties, including Chicago and Dallas, are considering them. Rhode Island is the only state to have passed a mandatory spay/neuter law, and it applies just to cats.
 
No one-size-fits-all answer
The idea that pets should be spayed or neutered at approximately 6 months of age or earlier dates to studies in the 1960s and 1970s showing that spaying a female before her first estrus cycle almost eliminated mammary cancer – which is common in dogs – and that spayed and neutered dogs showed a decrease in behavior problems that can be fueled by sex hormones.

Spay/neuter surgery also has other benefits, including prevention of unwanted litters, no messy twice-yearly estrus cycles in females and a reduced rate of uterine infections later in life. Spayed and neutered dogs and cats also have longer lifespans.

Since the early studies were conducted, however, research has also shown downsides to the surgeries beyond acute side effects such as bleeding and inflammation.
 
Margaret V. Root Kustritz, a veterinary reproduction specialist at the University of Minnesota, reviewed 200 studies and found that while spay/neuter surgery has benefits, it is also linked to increases in the incidence of certain diseases and conditions such as bone cancer, heart tumors, hypothyroidism and canine cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries, as well as prostate cancer in male dogs and urinary incontinence in females. The extent of the risk can depend on the problem, as well as the size and sex of the dog, and the age the surgery is performed.
 
The risk of a type of cardiac tumor called hemangiosarcoma is five times higher in spayed female dogs than unspayed females, noted Kustritz. And neutered males have 2.4 times the risk of unneutered males. The risk was also higher for osteosarcoma (bone cancer): Dogs spayed or neutered before age 1 were up to two times as likely to develop the disease than those that hadn't been altered.
Spaying and neutering may also heighten behavior problems such as aggression in some breeds and noise phobias in dogs altered at less than 5 months of age, she found.

While it's long been believed that spaying and neutering can improve a dog's behavior, one large study done at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine found that, with a few exceptions, spaying and neutering was associated with worse behavior, although those effects were often specific to certain breeds and depended on the age at which the dog was altered.

Cats seem to fare better, though. The main risk they face from sterilization is that they can become sedentary and obese, according to Kustritz's review of studies. As a result, vets say sterilizing cats before 6 months of age is appropriate.

Reproductive choice
Still, some oppose the mandatory spay/neuter surgery for both cats and dogs based on the grounds that pet owners may not be able to afford the surgery if reduced-cost programs aren't available. Plus, they argue, people should have a choice.
 
In San Mateo, Calif., Peninsula Humane Society president Ken White says such legislation provides a one-approach answer to a problem that is different from community to community.

White believes low-cost or free spay/neuter programs are a better way to reduce the number of unwanted animals, based on what's worked in San Mateo. The numbers of animals requiring euthanasia dropped dramatically – a 93% reduction since 1970 – as the Humane Society added ways for people to take advantage of low-cost and no-cost spay/neuter programs.
 
Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for the Humane Society of the United States, says that in general the organization is in favor of spay/neuter laws but "we look at every piece of legislation individually. We generally recommend that those decisions are made with a veterinarian. If an individual pet owner feels they want to wait longer or their veterinarian feels they should wait longer, that's their choice."
 
Veterinarians should consider the age for spay/neuter surgery based on the individual animal rather than rely on the traditional 6-month standard, says Khuly.
 
For instance, giant dog breeds are more at risk for some types of cancer, and akitas, German shepherds, golden and Labrador retrievers, Newfoundlands, poodles and Saint Bernards are among the breeds at higher risk for CCL ruptures.

"It seems that the bigger the dog, the less desirable it is to spay them early," says Hamil. In his practice, he recommends spaying or neutering large or giant-breed dogs later than small or medium-size dogs.
 
Some veterinarians suggest spaying females at 12 to 14 months of age, after the growth plates have closed and between estrus cycles. Hamil says that's not unreasonable.

A kinder cut?
Vasectomy is an option, although a rather uncommon one, for dogs that participate in sports with their owners. The main advantage is better musculature, which can help with arthritis later in life, says Khuly. A vasectomy prevents procreation but keeps testosterone production.
 
"I think it makes a lot more sense to consider a vasectomy," says Khuly. "Males with their testosterone really do have some advantages over those that don't have their testosterone."
While experts debate the timing of spay/neuter surgery, they generally agree that the benefits outweigh the risks.

"The disadvantages, although real, are not stark," Hamil says. "It's not like if you neuter them they're going to get [bone cancer]. You would have a very slight increase in incidence, and it's going to be breed-related ... [Whatever the increase is] that's not a very big reason not to spay or neuter your dog."