Posts from — August 2007

Although a natural pond does not require the use of a pond filter, a man made pond can only benefit from its use. Pond filters are designed to break down toxins within the water usually caused by decaying organic particles, if a pond filter is not used to remove this physical dirt your pond could be at risk of having poor pond water which could result in health problems for any fish living within the pond.

Depending on the size of your pond and how many fish you have will determine the type and size of the pond filter you need. Once installed the pond filter will keep both the water free from particles that can cause the water to be murky, smelly and even toxic, your fish and pond plants will also benefit from the pond filter as they will be healthier.

Pond filters not only optimise the viewing of your pond by cleaning the water for enhanced viewing of the fish, plants and inhabitants pond filters also conserve water by cleaning and recycling the ponds original water, When the water is pumped back into your pond it keeps the pond water which also helps to reduce the risk of the pond becoming stagnant.

There are several different types of pond filters to choose from all of which will produce a noticeable difference to any garden pond.

External Filters

External pond filters are usually the largest type of pond filter available. They are situated outside of the pond but close to it. They are usually filled with large sheets of foam with porous or plastic stone biological media underneath.

The biggest advantage of external pond filters is the improvement of the water quality it is also possible to add different filer media to serve other purposes should you have a specific problem with your pond. Having the pond filter outside of the pond makes the unit a lot easier to clean also the external pond filter supports the largest fish load.

The only disadvantage is the size and visibility however it is quite easy to disguise the pond filter behind pond plants making it less visible.

Submersed Filters

These pond filters are extremely versatile and are filled with a mixture of filter media for different types of filtration including chemical, mechanical and biological filtration. The advantages of this type of pond filter is not only the cleanliness of the water but the pond filter can also be used for other purposes such as water fountains, pond spitters and many other water based pond feature.

The only disadvantage is this type of pond filter is submersed in the water which may mean that you will need to stand in the pond to retrieve it depending on where it is situated when you decide to clean it.

When purchasing pond filters you will find that pet shops are always happy to help you chooses the right filter to suit your pond, take the time to ask someone in the shop and explain what sort of pond you have it is also wise to have a rough idea of the size and how many fish reside with it to make sure the best pond filter is selected.

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Allen Jesson writes for several sites including Seapets, a leading source for seapets.co.uk/view-products/category/95.html Pond Filters he also writes for hotdogtraining.com hot dog training tips and dogsanity.com training for dogs.

A dog is a man’s best friend. Treat him right or treat him wrong, he will remain the most loyal friend you will ever have. His life depends on you in more ways than you might realize. Seldom, however, will he ever complain if you mistreat him.

But what if you were killing your dog every day without even knowing it: by the food you are feeding him.

Dog Food Secrets will open your eyes to some very incredible and sometimes unbelievable information about how your dog is dying a slow, agonizing death because you are still feeding him commercial dog food. The dog food manufactures withhold the truth about what their food is really doing to your beloved friend.

Dog Food Secrets was written by Andrew Lewis, whose dog, Noble, died at the “tender” age of 4. Andrew says “Many world-famous Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and published Dog Care Experts universally agree any dog that eats commercial dog food is at a much higher risk of dying prematurely and by the time symptoms are noticeable, it’s often too late to prevent an agonizing death except by lethal injection.” He found out that preservatives used in the commercial dog food he was feeding Noble caused Noble to die of kidney failure.

The problem of commercial dog food is further confounded because many so-called leaders and experts in the field knowing endorse foods that they know will ultimately kill your dog.

If you love your dog, I suggest that you read Dog Food Secrets before it is too late for your “best friend”.

Mensch Meyer is a newbie to the world of Internet Marketing. He enjoy the challenge and excitement of swimming with the sharks.

Visit: good-dog-food.info good-dog-food.info for more information.

German Shepherds are beautiful dogs and they can also make excellent companions. Many people see the German Shepherds that are taught to be vicious attack animals, but with the proper German Shepherd dog training, your dog will be a friendly and loving pet. The German Shepherd breed is about ninety years old and they can be traced back to shepherding dogs in Germany. Today, these dogs are known for their loyalty, courage, and their willingness to learn.

Many people are usually concerned about German Shepherds having an unstable temperament. Many German Shepherds that are not well bred suffer from aggression, biting, sharpness, or extreme fearfulness. These behaviors are generally due to dogs not being well bred and dogs that are not socialized properly. To insure that your dog does not display any of these behaviors, it may be necessary for your dog to have Germans Shepherd dog training that focuses on respect.

Dogs that are fearful or aggressive may show disrespectful behaviors. German Shepherd dog training will relieve any of these behaviors. There are various ways that your dog can be disrespectful including:

• Talking back-the dog will bark back at you if he doesn’t want to cooperate
• Keep just out of reach- when you stretch towards him, the dog may dart out of reach or continuously back-up
• Hang on to objects
• Pester you by nudging for petting, scratching, etc.

• Stealing food from dogs and other animals
• Grumble at you
• Struggle during grooming
• Run away from you
• Get back at you by destroying your things
• Bark at visitors
• Jump on you and guests

All of these behaviors are rude and German Shepherds may exhibit many or all of them. They act this way because they are excited, hyper, and thrive on attention. German Shepherd dog training will teach your dog not to do these things and to respect your space. Dogs are pack animals and like to belong to the family, but they must know their place to live happily and contently.

Socializing is also very popular in German Shepherd dog training. You will want your dog to love everybody and you will want to be able to take them places where there are strangers. You will need to socialize your dog with people, dogs, and other animals. Socialization must occur as a puppy, adolescent, and an adult. Puppy socializing is critical in proper development of your puppy. This socialization occurs between 7 weeks and 6 months. Adolescent socialization occurs between 6 and 9 months and 1 and 3 years. Adolescent dogs may also go through a period of change as teenagers, as well. Adult socialization may not change a dog’s attitude, but it may keep the dog from acting aggressive. Socialization is critical in German Shepherd dog training.

German Shepherds are capable of being excellent pets and well-behaved dogs. You cannot control the genes that the dog inherited from his parents. These genes will influence his behavior to an extent. Previous handlers will influence his behavior, as well. Many of these behaviors can be overcome by proper German Shepherd dog training.

For more information on dog training tips and tricks and latest
and best dog training ebooks visit dogtrainingbookreviews.com/dog-training-book.html dogtrainingbookreviews.com/dog-training-book.html

Everyday someone asks me, “How do you start a pet-sitting business?” I try to answer their question succinctly. But the truth is, starting a pet-sitting business, or any business is not always a succinct process. Following are 21 tips that I know can lead to pet-care business success in any economy.

1. Accept what you don’t know. Not everyone who starts a pet-care business is an expert on every type of household pet. Be honest with clients who call requesting care for a pet you’ve never cared for. Your honesty and commitment to learning from them will go a long way in building long-term trust in you and your company.

2. Commit to learning about business. Unless you’ve run a series of successful small businesses before, you must create a self-education plan for yourself. No matter how much you love animals (and they love you) your business will flounder without attention to the mundane details of accounting, sales, marketing and filing.

3. Have a realistic budget. Set up a realistic budget for running your business. Be honest about how much money you need in order to pay your bills and invest in your business. Many pet-sitting businesses close because the owner did not evaluate how many visits they would need to perform in order to meet their basic financial needs.

4. Evaluate the competition. Make sure you understand what the other pet-sitters in your area are already doing, and what you can do better or more efficiently. If there are no other pet sitting companies in your area, find out what your potential customers currently do to care for their pets when they can’t be there.

5. Set realistic rates. Yes, you love pets and you can’t believe that you can get paid to have fun – that’s what a great many star athletes say too, yet they manage to make millions of dollars each year. You won’t likely be able to draw clients in by charging thousands of dollars for your services, but you won’t be able to serve pets well if you quit in 6 months because you need more money to survive.

6. Listen to pet-lovers. Ask pet owner’s what is most important about their pet’s care. Never imagine that you know everything – a pet owner always knows their pet best. Listen and you will learn how to serve them better.

7. Enjoy the people. I often joke that “Until that puppy can write a check, I work for his Mom!” And it’s true. The people who love their pets are your customers – even if you don’t see them. Check in with them and find out how they feel about your service. Make sure they understand that you are happy to work with them and you appreciate being part of their care giving ‘family.’

8. Make business decisions. You are in business, so treat yourself like a business owner. If you intend to work as a sole proprietor, make a decision to work only with the clients that contribute the most to your bottom-line.

9. Build Alliances. Work with the other pet-sitters in your area. If you need a back-up or you are booked, you need to know the other quality caregivers who service your area. You can ruin your great reputation simply by recommending someone who doesn’t live up to your standards.

10. Build alliances with other small business owners in your area. Who better understands the ‘downside’ of pet ownership than the dry cleaner or housekeeping service in your neighborhood? Their businesses are based partially on the pet-owning clients in your area. Ask to place your cards in their shops, or if you can run put a flyer in their monthly bills sent to their clients.

11. Serve the client, not your ego. It’s a heady experience to feel the power of running a business and sometimes you will think you know what’s best when caring for someone else’s pets. Realize that you need to ride the fine line between educating customers and talking down to them.

12. Be genuine. Everyone wants to work with someone “real.” When people are making decisions about letting a stranger into their home to care for their most precious possession, they want to feel that you are a real human being with an understanding and appreciation of their relationship with their pet. You need to be a business person with a heart – have all your forms and policies in place, but let your personality shine through.

13. Believe in yourself. This is the most important success factor I have found. Define your success by your rules and wake up every day with the knowledge that you can and will succeed.

14. Ignore the naysayers. Plenty of people are going to doubt you when you tell them this is your goal. Don’t listen. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and never stop moving forward.

15. Create systems to work smarter. Everything can be systemized to help you get everything done. Make a list of all your ‘must dos’, ‘should dos’ and ‘want-to-dos’ and determine how often they happen (annually, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily). Sit down with a calendar and plug in the activities that will accomplish your lists.

16. Network. Just like building alliances, you need to step up your ‘face-time’ in your community. Investigate several networking opportunities in groups that are industry specific (like pet-rescue organizations, pet-sitter networks) and business or community specific (like the Chamber of Commerce, or NAWBO). After visiting several, select the ones that are most effective for your business – both in terms of referrals for new business and for educational purposes.

17. Evaluate. If something is working (or not) for you – find out why. Ask questions of everyone – your happy (and unhappy) clients. Find out what keeps happy customers coming back. If someone decides not to hire you for their pet’s care, ask them what influenced their decision. If their decision was based on an area where you can’t compromise – you won’t provide every other day service for cats – move on. If it’s something you can improve upon – they thought you were too abrupt on the phone – fix it! Get to the heart of what drives your business and take time each day to improve.

18. Set goals and action plans. You must know what your objectives are for you and your business. When you envision your life in a year, three years and ten years, what will you be doing? How will your business be running? Whether you intend to serve ten clients for life, or you want to establish the top pet-sitting franchise in North America and Europe – you need to have a goal and a plan.

19. Find your niche and stick to it. When I started peggiespets.com” target=”_new peggiespets.com, I was intimidated by narrowing to a niche. By defining your niche and marketing to them, you are not turning away other business (our niche is big dogs and puppy potty training) you can continue to accept all the business you want that is outside of your niche (ask all the terriers, birds and rabbits we care for!).

20. Strive for success everyday. Never compromise your ideals to meet someone else’s expectations. The reason you started your own business is because of your passion, so always stand by your convictions and work hard to exceed your expectations each day.

NOTE: You’ll encounter people who don’t do business the way you do, and you’ll find clients that don’t live up to your expectations…don’t lecture, don’t get on your soapbox, just politely point them in a different direction.

21. Help someone else succeed. The more you give away, the more you will receive. Whether you are helping another pet-care business get started (with more than 65 million dogs and 77 million cats in American households according to APPMA– there’s room for more pet-care providers!) or you’re helping another person achieve their dream, you will be more successful because you participated!

Follow these tips to achieve your own brand of pet-care business success!

About The Author

Peggie Arvidson-Dailey is the founder of Pet Care Business University and the Pet-Care Business Success System™. She is the author of several articles on small business success and has been radio guest on “This Week in Small Business” on the topic of Customer Satisfaction. As a trainer and coach she has helped people across the country create and build the pet-care business of their dreams. Visit peggiespets.com” target=”_new peggiespets.com for more information.

mailto:peggie@peggiespets.com peggie@peggiespets.com

Cats are incredible pets with a unique style all their own. If you have chosen a cat as a pet you probably already understand that discipling and training them requires special effort. You’ll need to some extent to understand and adapt to your pet’s unique personality traits.

Most cat owners realistically are not looking for a circus cat ready to jump through hoops. They’ll be satisfied if the litter box is used well and the furnishings are left intact.

Accordingly, it is good to realize that cats learn through experience. This may require an owner to be patient, in order to build a pattern of cause and effect. This means that if they experience a good thing they are more likely to repeat it. Also, the opposite is true if the encounter was not pleasant. So whatever there’s good behavior (like clawing the pet scratching post instead of your furniture), you’ll want to reinforce that with a good reward.

Whether it’s good or bad behavior, your cat will learn it by this method of immediate response. Delaying a reward or punishment will only confuse her. For example, if a cat is used to being fed every time it pesters you, that will reinforce the behavior. So it is important to evaluate your actions accordingly.

Training a cat to use the litter box is something that must commence when they are young. Keep in mind that cats do enjoy a clean litter box. You need to do your share to make it a pleasant experience. It has been noted that if the box isn’t cleaned regularly, but the rest of the house is cleaned, then your pet may head for the clean areas away from its box, such as the edge of a lovely rug!

With time and careful attention you will come to realize that your pet’s independent nature still allows a wide variety of moods, which can be either aggressive or playful. A cat will normally enjoy some playful interaction, however it can change its mind swiftly and decide it’s had enough. But as a cat owner you already know that, and are just learning to go with the flow!

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on theworldsbesthomepage.com/blog/category/home/pets/ pets, cat and dog care and animal health and visit our associated site free-content-resource.com articles for free.

I expect that you believe that you are doing the best you can for your pet by buying a cat flea collar for her? I certainly do but have you noticed how long they seem to work for? They don’t seem to last for a day let alone the three or four months that they are supposed to. I’ve no idea why this is the case but I can suggest some different ways of dealing with the problem.

Something else that I don’t like about cat flea collars, or dog flea collars is that they contain poison to kill the fleas. This poison can affect humans by causing irritation or soreness. If these cat collars can do this to humans then what are they doing to your beloved pet?

What else can you do about the fleas? There are shampoos that are designed to kill fleas. Try them out, if your cat will let you that is. Personally I’ve never met a cat that likes getting wet, they turn into alien teeth and claw monsters, so trying to give her a shampoo is out of the question. Oh and if you do have a go at this, don’t expect your cat to talk to you again for the next few days.

My vet recommends treating cats with a product that stops the fleas reproducing. You need to apply this substance to the back of your cat’s neck every 3 months for it to be effective. You have to remember that this does not kill the fleas but it does stop them multiplying so you should see a reduction in fleas after a few months. You can make this happen a lot quicker if you remove the fleas by combing them out.

If you love your cat as much as I love mine then you will find that there is nothing better than a daily use of the flea comb. I find it soothing and a great stress reliever. I think that my cat likes it too even though she will tell me off if I do it for too long. If your cat has a flea problem then you will see them on the comb. The hard part is catching and killing them before they vanish by jumping away. When you catch them you must crush them in between two hard surfaces.

Don’t forget to treat your carpets and furniture. Fleas will jump off your cat and live in your carpets and furniture until another animal comes along. It’s very important that you spray everything with a suitable anti-flea spray. Make sure that you follow the instructions on the label before you use it.

So if your pet has fleas then consider using some of the remedies that I’ve mentioned above before you go out and buy a cat flea collar.

Steve is a software engineer, a cat lover and owner of thecatcollar.com thecatcollar.com

Dog training may seen like a daunting task. However, there is hope. Just remember to let the dog know that you are the master and he or she is not. Make sure that you speak in a tone that shows authority. Routine is crucial. If you keep these things in mind, you cannot go wrong.

When you bring that sweet little puppy home, you just want to let it do whatever it wants to do, because it is oh so cute. However, you must keep in mind that you are in charge, just as you would when you bring a child home from the hospital. Letting the puppy know that you are boss and what you say goes from the moment you bring him home will allow the puppy to see there are boundaries that are not to be crossed. Make sure that you start off with pointing, using gestures and body language that you will use consistently so that the dog will associate that motion with what he is to do.

Say it like you mean it. When you begin taking your dog for a walk or training him to stay in the yard, you must speak in a very firm authoritative tone. This is very important. If not, the dog may not know that you are serious or associate what you are saying with danger or discipline. Make sure that when you are going for a walk or asking the dog if he needs to go outside, you use a tone that shows excitement, something that he would want to do. This helps him differentiate between the firmness of you saying “stay” while looking to cross the street with his excitement to be outside and explore.

Routine is the key. Make sure that the gestures, the tone and the words that you use are consistent. Using the same routine will allow the puppy to adapt to his new surroundings and make him feel safe and secure, as well as help you feel more at ease knowing that your dog will obey. When taking the dog outside, always use the same door, so he knows that is where he is always to be when he needs to go outside. When you go to bed, use the same command or short phrase, so that he may recognize what time it is. Routine with dogs allows both of you to know what to expect and the dog will be far more likely to obey if he knows what is coming.

With all that said, have fun and enjoy the new member of your family! Training can be an exciting time and does not have to be frustrating. Go to the park on a sunny day and play while teaching him how to obey. Just remember to let him know, in love, who is boss!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to dog-training-guided.com/ Dog Training

There are a hundred different dog training techniques, a thousand training tricks , and a million mistakes that can be made along the way when you first start training a dog. But follow some basic rules, and build your training on firm foundations, you will not go far wrong.

While I always emphasize that a dog is not human, and cannot understand the subtleties of human speech, you must always remember that the dog is a living, conscious, intelligent and above all sensitive being. So,

1) Be gentle. Never harm your dog, either by physical or mental punishment. A lot of nonsense has been written about how dogs in the wild attack each other to prove their dominance. This is an old fashioned theory based on a misunderstanding of wolf pack behaviour. To train a dog you must earn his respect, not his fear, otherwise, like a naughty child, he will only behave when he thinks you can enforce your (violent) will!

2) Be Positive. Like humans, a dog will best remember the last thing he did during training. If it was an enjoyable activity, he will want to do the training again, so you should always finish a training session by doing something that the dog likes, or is good at. If he has just mastered a new command, then finish with the most lavish praise he has ever received. If things have gone badly, then do something basic that he can do successfully. Not only will he link training with success and enjoyment, but so will you!

3) Be calm. Never get flustered. You will not help yourself by getting stressed – just enjoy your dog’s company, even if his progress is painfully slow, or non-existent. You will not help your dog either, who will sense your frustration and lose his concentration. He may get confused and could misinterpret your mood as anger and assume that the one thing he is doing right is wrong after all. A training session when you are stressed can set your dog back weeks.

4) Be loving. Give your dog plenty of attention. Remember, you want him to think that you are the most important being in his world. The more praise you give him, the more you call him to you for pats and ruffling ears, the more he is going to want to listen to you and follow your instructions.

5) Be consistent. Your dog will get confused quickly if the goalposts move every other day. Commands should always be the same – both words and tone of voice should remain constant. Remember that your dog will read your body language as much as he hears your voice, so be calm with calm commands (like leave or stay), excited with exciting commands (come, or fetch), but above all, keep each command consistent all the time!

Justin Davies has been involved with dogs and their training for over 20 years and writes dog training articles for trainyourdogblog.blogspot.com www.trainyourdogblog.blogspot.com. For more information on training your dog, sign up for the free dog training email course at newdogtrainingmethods.info www.newdogtrainingmethods.info

The Irish Water Spaniel is considered to be one of the most adept of the hunting breeds at working the water and the land. His admirers believe that in many respects the dog should be classified in the Spaniel group since they believe that the dog has no equal when it comes to it’s ability to retrieve the fallen birds out of the water and it uses also the skills of pointing and retrieving when hunting on land. The Irish Water spaniel, as the name implies, originally comes from the country of Ireland. At one time there were two of these types of dogs, a northern and a southern, but there do not seem to be any descendants of the type which used to flourish in the north of Ireland.

The Water Spaniel that exists today is the Irish Water Spaniel which originated in southern Ireland, a strong and athletic curly coated dog with a sense of humor and a clownish personality which endears him to his owners. He is a hunting dog of great ability. Breeders through the years have done a fine job of maintaining this dogs instinctive abilities and at the same time maintaining the structure and soundness of the breed. He possesses a thick tightly curled rather short coat which is oily by nature. This coat should not be “woolly” and should be exceedingly water proof. This is a coat that will mat and will also form cords if not cared for on a regular basis. The tail is long, the ears likewise are long and are covered with longer curls, while there is also a “topknot” of longer curls on the top of the skull which hangs down over the top of the head. The color is a dark liver. The dog has a “barrel” rib cage which lends a roll to his gait; this is not common among dogs of hunting origin, but the build of his ribs allows for great endurance when swimming. The old adage “form follows function” is true for this breed as this is a dog that is obviously built to swim and to retrieve from the water. With powerful jaws and a front and rear that is built for strength and endurance while swimming and the added performance as a hunting dog on the land, this is a dog that has attracted many admirers as an all around hunting dog of great ability.

The Irish Water Spaniel should be accustomed early to training, for he is very smart and is considered to be somewhat of an independent thinker; probably this is a dog that is not suitable for a “first time” dog owner. He can be headstrong and is active by nature, a playful and energetic dog that requires plenty of exercise. Typically gun dogs are quite intelligent and usually will think up their own diversions if not given something to do and the Irish Water Spaniel is no exception. He needs daily exercise and if allowed to be in the household he thrives on human companionship. He is a dog that will prove his loyalty and affection for his master and will provide hours of hunting pleasure when properly trained.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to