Here are some links that, in my opinion, should be Required Reading for canine ownership. This is all stuff I highly recommend--some of it may change the way you look at your dog.
The BEST things you can do for an animal of *any* breed or species are to:
~Understand what it was developed to do, and
~Learn to speak its language. (!)
Once you know what the animal is instinctively "programmed" to do, what he is trying to communicate to you, and how YOU can communicate with *him*...you are well on your way to a sucessful & fulfilling relationship for both of you! :-)
On canine body language:
http://wolfdogproject.com/bodylanguage/bodylanguage.htm
http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html
http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=2337
http://www.allbreed.net/chows/Train/dog.htm
http://www.african-boerboel.co.za/canineexp.htm
http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=2143
http://www.selfhelpdogtraining.com/Dog_Culture/cms/dogculture.html
Study of books, diagrams, or photos of canine body language is HIGHLY recommended (IMO, completely mandatory for all who own dogs).
On communicating with your dog (lots of links):
http://www.k9events.com/calmingsignals.htm
The book "Calming Signals" by Turid Rugaas is highly recommended.
On dominance and being alpha:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfdogproject/dominance1
http://www.chowwelfare.com/cciw/alpha.htm
http://www.husky-petlove.com/husky_alpha_traing.html
http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20030302162437/http://www.allbreed.net/chows/Train/Workfare.htm
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/dance.html
http://www.k9station.com/articles/dominance.htm
No Free Lunch Program: http://www.pbrc.net/training_nfl.html
http://www.goof.com/~pmurphy/NILIF.html
http://www.accel.net/accel/malamuterescue/alphatraining.html
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/topdogrules.htm
Sibling rivalry: http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/aggression2.html
On training ANY animal, even odd species or dogs with "issues":
http://www.clickertraining.com/training/clicker_basics/index.htm
(The book "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor is also highly recommended.)
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/behavior/behmod.html
Bridge and Target training: http://www.societyandanimalsforum.org/hia/vol8/cover.html
Some more thoughts on training:
http://www.sdhumane.org/petownerhelp/anydog.cfm
http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/techniques.html
http://www.dog-play.com/behavior.html
http://www.dogforme.com/pages/roadkill.html
LOTS of training links!
http://www.cbel.com/training_dogs/
http://wagntrain.com/TrainingTips.htm
On teaching self-control:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfdogproject/selfcontrol
Insights on inter-dog aggression:
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/casehis.html
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/onldagg.html
On working with shy/fearful dogs:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfdogproject/spooky1
"Capture" techniques for fearful or feral dogs:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfdogproject/capture.html
On feeding:
http://k9joy.com/education/feedyourdog.php
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359
http://qualityaussies.webs.com/feedingarawdiet.htm (LOTS of awesome info here on behaviour, as well!)
http://www.doberdogs.com/foodcht1.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/nutrition.html
Research into the raw foods/"BARF" diet is recommended. A pooly done raw diet is worse than a high quality kibble, however, so if you go this route, please study enough to do it right.
A starter BARF FAQ: http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html http://rawfed.com/myths
More BARF links: http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm or http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html
A great place to research meat and poultry suppliers in your area: http://local.yahoo.com
But my vet says to feed Science Diet (or some other grain-based food substitute)! _ A: Would you feed steak to horse? Dogs' digestive systems were not set up for grains. They can't process them ideally, get little from them (they're just cheap fillers), and grains are the cause of most canine allergies and health problems. Please do your dog a favor and educate yourself. People may argue forever on whether dogs are carnivores or omnivores--but they are definitely NOT grain eaters.
(Note: Some vets HAVE taken the initiative, and done their own research on nutrition. They don't follow the "party line", but you don't have to take their word for it. The results speak for themselves.)
On housebreaking:
http://www.worldclassgsd.com/Tips_Resources_For_German_Shepherds/House_Breaking_Your_Puppy.htm
http://www.msu.edu/~silvar/housebreak.htm
Various troubleshooting links:
http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/lib-prob.htm
For the kitties:
(Some essential links on cats.)
Thoughts on How to Raise Happy Cats :-)
Please don't do this to your friends... http://www.declawing.com
Cat handling: Archive: http://www.maddies.org/organizations/shelter_medicine_handle.html
LOTS of stuff on cat behaviour: Archive: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/behavior.html
Caring for newborn kittens
Working with Ferals
HELP! My cat is spraying!
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