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DOGGY NEWS
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The newsletter from www.petsplace.co.za
Pets' Place is the place to find pets!
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Howzit
Doggy People!
On
Saturday I was down to my last slice of bread, and the village shop was
shut till Monday. A new customer brought a little dog to the boarding
kennels for one night only. She said, “He likes toast. Will you give
him a slice of toast in the morning?”
“Yes,”
I replied grudgingly.
After
she had gone, I thought, “Why should I give my last slice of bread to
a dog? Why don’t I just eat it now? She will never know! I picked up
the slice and toyed with temptation but then I remembered the
customer’s face – that look of anxiety
because she was entrusting her beloved pet to a stranger. I had
assured her that I would try to make the dog feel at home.
I had said to her that I would give the dog toast, so that is
what I had to do. It was a matter of integrity. The devil once tempted
Jesus to eat bread illegitimately. Jesus replied, “Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word of God.” He refused to compromise
and eat the bread.
I put
the bread away. I decided I would do the Christian thing and be a person
of integrity. Later that afternoon, a friend came round. She said, “I
can’t do the communion service at church tomorrow. Will you do it for
me? Here’s the bread. You just cut off a chunk for the church and keep
the rest yourself.”
“A
pleasure!” I chirped!
On
Sunday morning, both the dog and I had toast! It was the best toast I
ever had! God will provide our daily bread when we do things HIS way!
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DOUBLE
TROUBLE! Two litters at once!
Harry
& Sharon Poultney have a litter of Staffordshire Bull Terrier
puppies, and another litter expected soon! Imagine all those little
“Jocks of the Bushveld” scampering around everywhere and getting up
to mischief! Will the
Poutney’s cope? Read next month’s thrilling episode in Doggy News to
find out!
HEALTH
Germs can lurk in the
scratches on a plastic feeding dish. The most hygienic dish for a pet is
stainless steel. Stainless steel dishes can’t crack and cannot be
chewed. They should last for the dog’s lifetime, so they are a good
investment where your dog’s health is concerned. You can get this set
of dishes – or just one dish – by mail order. Dog dishes should be
washed after every meal. Stainless steel is easy to wash. You will need
more than one dish so that one can be in the wash.
Stainless steel is easy to wash.
Next time: Hip
Dysplasia - what is it?
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DOG
TRAINING by Paul Eastoe
You have been socialising
your dog, teaching him your house rules and his name and have completed
veterinary requirements. Now you should gradually introduce some basic
obedience training to his daily routine. There are several different
methods of training and each trainer will have and probably advocate
their own favourites. However, some rudimentary tenets remain:
Each breed of dog has
different traits, temperaments, behaviours and abilities. Some breeds
are hypersensitive, some obstinate, some quiet, others hyperactive.
Teach yourself about your dog’s breed. A specific book or club
membership will help. Different dogs respond to different types of
training. Experiment if necessary.
Train before a meal. We all
want to sleep after eating.
If your puppy enjoys his
training he will learn quickly. Make each session fun.
Keep it short. Ten minutes a
session is plenty at this stage.
Never try to teach your dog
by hitting him. Ignore rude behaviour and reward good behaviour. In
return you will be rewarded with love, loyalty and more good behaviour.
Some formality helps. Train
with your dog ‘on-lead’ until he is obedient. You need it to
reinforce commands.
Use each command once. If you
say, “Sit” 6 times you are teaching him that he needs to hear
“Sit” 6 times before sitting.
Be consistent.
If you allow your dog to jump up at you then he must be allowed to jump
up at your family, friends and strangers. If “DOWN” means lie down
then don’t say “DOWN” when you want your dog to jump down from
something. If you don’t allow her on beds then that is the rule.
Make sure your family
understand your rules and chosen training method.
Use her name with each
command especially if you have more than one dog. Choose a command word
and hand signal for every required response.
The ‘basic commands’ are
to do with survival and relationships. Teach your dog to HEEL, SIT,
COME, LIE DOWN and STAY or WAIT. The language is unimportant but keep
the commands short and consistent. She is learning the tone and meaning.
The word used is really irrelevant.
Next time we shall look at
methods.
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Has there been any incident in your dog's life
you'd like to thank God for?
Drop me a line!
Till next time
Eileen
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