Small breed dogs have been used for centuries to act as an alert for the bigger, more powerful dog or home owner.  Small dogs, such as poodle, have a great sense of hearing and a loud and annoying bark that will wake up neighbors in surrounding homes, let alone the larger guard dogs or the owners that may be sound asleep.  Once the small dog hears even the crack of a door or footsteps in the yard, they tend to immediately awake and start alerting with a loud and high pitch bark.  Once this happens, the larger dog will awake as well to discover whatever intruder there may be and typically scare the intruder off before any harm is done in the first place.

Many people think that guard dogs are limited to such breeds such as the bull terriers, such as a pit bull, as well as the Rottweiler because they have that stereotype as being very aggressive.  This may be true in many cases but other dogs such as Labrador Retrievers can carry such loyalty to the family that they will also serve and protect as a guard dog of the home.  German Sheppard’s are also another keen example of the type of guard dog that also loves in the home, though ready to protect when needed, therefore pinpointing one particular breed of dog to act as a guard dog may not be the best choice, but rather all in how you train the dog to act.

In general, Labrador Retrievers and German Sheppard’s are great all around family oriented dogs.  Their personalities without any training at all will be instinct to be loyal, fun, and loving to its owners.  The added training that these dogs can receive is only the added bonus to make the life of the dogs and owners, as well as the kids, much better in terms of friendships and obedience.

The key thing to know about most dogs is that they are striving to please people.  They really enjoy the playfulness of kids and even the obedience of the owners as well.  You can tell, when training a dog, that as they learn new things, they are extremely overjoyed that you are happy with them.  This generally holds true to all types of dogs, and not only the ones listed above.  Each family is different, and each child has their own personality, therefore, finding a dog to fit in with their lifestyle may seem like a bit of a challenge, though when you do find the perfect dog, you will have that friend for life.

Dog food is made in many different styles and flavors.  Flavor is a good thing to know, and whether your dog likes it or not, in order to make sure that the dog will eat all of the nutritional dog food that he or she will need on a daily basis.  Some of the different types of dog food will range from things such as puppy chow, adult dog food, weight control, senior dog food, and much more.  In addition to this, different brands of dog food will have different ingredients within the food so knowing what it has in it and if that is proper for the specific dog that you have is a key factor in determining which food that you should go with.  If you are unsure as to what your dog needs specifically then there are books about specific dogs with key information as to maintaining a proper diet for that dog.

An old myth is to never feed your dog “people food” or “table scraps,” and for good reason, as most foods that people eat are not good for a dog.  There are a few exceptions to this rule.  Poached eggs can be great for a dogs coat and restoring the oils needed in the dog’s skin.  A couple of eggs per week will do this job just fine.  NEVER feed your dog pork.  Pork will lead to pancreatic failure in dogs if too much is consumed.  This is also true for chocolates.  The key is research the specific dog that you have and determine how to feed your dog a good diet.

Greyhounds are pack animals, which mean that they tend to run with a large group of other greyhounds, or dogs in general.  They are very social when it comes to other animals and really depend on each other for support in the pack.  The greyhound will most likely be looking for the “alpha” male of the pack, and if you have one in your home, the greyhound needs to know that the owner is the “alpha” or otherwise the greyhound may try to take over that control themselves, making their aggression much higher.  With the proper training that is catered to greyhounds needs, the greyhound can be a great family pet.  If you only have one, you will need to treat the dog as if he or she is part of the family, giving them that “pack” feeling.

There are a few places in the world that you can adopt a greyhound.  You can adopt them in a range from puppies, to full grown retired racing dogs.  They need the right care and in return they will undoubtedly show the same loyalty to their owners, or “members of the pack.”  They are beautiful animals with beautiful personalities, but these aren’t the types of dogs you need to leave alone for days at a time.  With the proper care, you will have definitely won a friend for life.

If weather permits and is warm outside, you can bathe your dog there, but one thing that you will need to look for is a place to bathe your dog that will not turn to mud once it gets wet.  This is a common mistake that many people will make when bathing dogs and when their dog comes back into the house, they seem to track mud all over the place and creating a bigger mess than when they started.  A large washtub outside would be ideal for this situation so that the dog can stay within until rinsed and dried and avoid any dirt getting on the clean dog.  Also, if you are bathing inside, you can look into getting a raised dog shower that will elevate your dog and rinse hose to your size, which can help save a ton of time, as well as your back too.

Implementing these tips and tricks to bathing your dog can really help to make the task much more desirable.  You should find your own routine, which works best for you and your dog because being comfortable all by itself will help a great amount and make bathing time feel, not so bad.

If the dog owner has ample time to spend with the dog and has a good knowledge of how to train a dog then these obedience training methods can easily be taught at home.  There are definitely times when the owner doesn’t have the time to spend doing these such activities and in this situation, obedience school can be a great help.  Nowadays, a lot of obedience schools are even requiring that the dog owner be present for the class and rather than an obedience school training the dog, they focus their attention on training the owner on how to train the dog.  This is implemented so that the dog will get the best results of obedience from the owner and will continue to be obedient well after the completion of the class.

Ultimately, you have to be the deciding factor as to whether you should enroll your dog in obedience school or not.  There is no doubt that the dog will need the training, but whether the owner has the time to devote to the training or not will be a key point in the decision.  One thing to understand is that dogs in training need consistency.  If you can’t guarantee that you will be consistent with the dog then your best bet will definitely be to send the dog to obedience school.

When you are getting ready to walk a dog, make sure that the collar fits properly so that you will have the proper control from the leash.  With a collar too tight, you will tend to chock the dog when they try to run off, and with a collar too loose, the collar can slip off or jerk a lot which can give mixed signals to the dog that is being walked.  The proper leash will help to aid in all of these aspects of walking a dog and give more control to the owner that is walking the dog which, in turn, helps to teach the dog exactly what the owner wants and making for a cooperative and learnable experience for the dog.

At first, if the dog has no walking skills on a leash, you should reduce the length of the leash so that the dog is forced to walk beside you at all times rather than wander off.  This will teach the dog patience and let them learn a baseline for what it is you are wanting.  Keep the leash up high and as the dog learns the proper way to walk, then you can start to slack off on the leash a little at a time, though keeping him close.  Eventually, with consistency, the dog will learn to walk properly beside the owner without being distracted by other people or animals which makes life a whole lot better for both pet and owner.

The first thing that you will want to do is get 5 or 6 Frisbee’s for a dog.  There are special made kinds that are specific to a dog, so that it will be indestructible, as well as keeping from injuring the dog.   Next, you will start off by introducing the Frisbee to the dog by letting the dog take it out of your hand and get familiar with it.  Once the dog is familiar with the Frisbee, you can then move on to throwing it across the ground and letting the dog chase the Frisbee.  Dogs love to chase these and it will also get them familiar will targeting.  Once they get good at the targeting of the Frisbee, you will be amazed at how quickly that they will start to catch it right out of the air.

This is where the fun begins.  With this trick learned, you can add your own tweaks to it by throwing many Frisbee’s at different times and in different locations.  This will tend to keep the dogs attention better and help to build their instincts and reflexes as well, but ultimately having fun with their owner.

Dental health for your dog will be greatly improved by chewing toys so it is important to keep your dog interested in the toy choice you give them. Popular toys usually contain something that tastes good, smells good, some light up, and others make noises to keep you dog entertained. If the toy is fun for your dog then you can use it to reward your dog for good behavior or take it from them when they are bad.

Different Dogs enjoy different textures and tastes, you will need to find what your dog likes to chew and try your best to find a similar product but without it being as destructive to your house like their old toy, the table leg, was.

Avoiding tugging toys may be a good idea in some cases, more excited breeds of dog and puppies especially will get the message that tugging is fun for you as well as your dog, thus encouraging him to tug at you trouser legs when they’re in need of attention and curtains when they’re bored. Personally I would avoid theses toys.

When looking for a good toy for your dog, here are some good suggestions:

1. Look for a dog toy with something different like sound, taste, or lights.
2. Pick a dog toy that is tough enough to withstand your dogs chewing and biting
3. Choose dog toys that you think your dog will enjoy, using experience of what he normally chews is a good idea.

Remember that choosing a dog toy all depends on the dog in question, each dog will have different tastes and experiences of what they enjoy, something as cheap and simple as a tennis ball could be enough to keep your dog occupied for hours on end.

In some cases having a 200 pound dog in your home may take some getting used to, because mastiff pups are very clumsy until they mature enough to where they can learn to control their size. This gentle giant is known to be very mild tempered and not easily angered, although who would really want to provoke this huge dog?

The mastiff is known to be a very casual and calm breed. This dog will in most cases not attack anyone breaking into your home, but the fear factor alone makes this dog appear to be a threat to intruders. The Mastiff Dog Breed drools a lot and is very good with kids, although it may be too big to have around babies due to its size.

This dog type is very intelligent, so simple or complex commands can be taught very easily. These dogs only live to be about 10 years old due to sheer size. The mastiff dog breed has been known to develop CHD (Coronary heart disease). Also, other things such as elbow dysplasia and becoming over weight can become a problem if not treated. It is recommended that you take the dog for daily walks or for a run in the park. Exercise has been proven to keep your dog healthy and strong.

The mastiff dog breed requires little or no effort to keep maintained. Routine nail trimmings, baths, brushing, and dry shampooing will keep your dog looking like the champion that you know he can be. This dog does not react very well to warm weather, so it is not recommended to have these dogs outside before the temperature cools down.

The mastiff comes in many different breeds listing from English mastiff, British mastiff (bull mastiff), Victorian Bulldog, Fila Brasileiro, American Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, and many more. Although each breed has its own distinct markings, sizes, and shapes, the temperament is generally the same throughout the history of the blood line. Mastiffs are very family oriented dogs, and are known to be playful as pups, gassy (flatulent) as adults, and most breeds have been known to snore loudly.