Dogs How to Travel with Dogs: Tips and Advice 6:00 AM Are you a dog lover? If so, you know how challenging it can be to part with your fur baby while traveling. Our pets are our family, our best friends, and you wouldn’t dare leave one of them behind, would you? Of course not! Fortunately, with the proper preparations, you can travel in style with your healthy and happy pup. Here are some tips and advice on how to travel with your dogs.How to Travel with DogsTraveling by plane? Consider a few things beforehand to make things easier on yourself and your pooch. Does your dog have the right temperament for a plane ride? Do you have a carrier that aligns with your airline's size requirements? Is your dog up to date on all their shots and vaccinations? The same thing goes for car rides. You want to be sure your pup is comfortable in their seat, and be prepared to make some potty & stretching stops for them! This graphic by PuppySpot can serve as a helpful checklist before your next trip. Once you determine your mode of transportation, simply check off each necessity to be sure you don’t miss a thing. Once the travel portion is over, be sure to arrange accommodations for your pet at your destination as well. Websites like Bring Fido can help you find dog-friendly hotels, restaurants, and activities near you. Planning out these things will relieve the stress of leaving your dog in the hotel all day and allow you to freely explore the area. Even if you’re not a pet owner at the moment, checking out some of the local dog-friendly beaches and hiking trails can still be a fun way to fill your daily dose of cuteness. Do you have any tried-and-true travel tips? Let me know in the comments! About the author: The PuppySpot Team
Dogs How To Train Your Dog To Shake Hands...Err Paws 1:07 AM How to Train Your Dog to Shake Hands I had two dogs and both were well-trained. As part of their training, they were taught to sit and shake hands. Because our adopted German Shepherd was a former police dog, training him to follow the sit and stay command was easy. His trainer was the only human he would listen to. The learning curve for us wasn’t too long, but it was doable. His name was Fritz and the techniques we were taught to train him mirrored what he learned while in training. The very first step was establishing trust with the whole family.Without that trust, training could be quite impossible. Dogs are generally repetition and food-based creatures, so consistency is essential.See more about the perfect dog nail clippers The challenge Unlike Fritz, Knight, my Gordon Setter, was a little more difficult to train because we adopted him when he was a puppy.Like most puppies, he wasn't disciplined yet. We signed him up for an obedience course. After some time, he learned to listen to verbal commands. He seemed to think he was a lap dog. When he was fully grown, he developed the habit of greeting me at the door by putting his front paws on my shoulders and standing on his hind legs. All seventy pounds of him!How to Train Your Dog to Shake Hands in 3 Easy Steps1. Take the timeI took the time to teach him to sit, stay and put out his paw for a handshake instead. 2. Use verbal cues and treatsWhat we did differently with Knight was to use food treats at first and combine the command with verbal cues.We say “Knight, sit…stay, shake hands” followed by treats. 3. Be patientEventually, Knight associated us coming into the house with sitting, staying, and shaking hands without the need for a food treat. This training will be more or less difficult based on several factors including age, health, and breed. Some breeds are simply more difficult to train than others. I have found that the easiest breed to train, between the two, was my German Shepherd. Knight was a bit of a show-off and he wanted to show us how independent he was. Fritz was more about protecting the family especially the children. Listening to verbal commands was a lot easier for him.Do you train your dog to shake hands? What other tricks does your dog know? Submitted by a guest blogger.
