Quick tip 1 - If your pup's nose seems to be perpetually dry after surgery, monitor his water intake and soak a cloth in tepid water. Lay it over his nose for a few minutes (making sure he can breathe, of course). This can help perk him up right away!

Quick tip 2 - Be wary of any breeder who says he or she treats puppies of breeds like Dobermans, Rottweilers, and Pit bulls differently so that they may be later used as guard dogs. Puppies should be treated similarly regardless of breed - purpose-specific training should never occur before a puppy reaches two months.

Quick tip 3 - Try to find a puppy kindergarten class in your area as soon as possible after adopting your new baby. These classes are not only great for training, they create a bond between you and your puppy and can help your pup get used to other people and dogs.

Quick tip 4 - Many training schools now offer in-home training or "doggie camps." During the first, your trainer will help you and your puppy figure out what's happening to cause specific problems (like furniture eating). The second is a kind of sleepaway camp for your puppy - he'll undergo intensive training for 10 days, then you'll attend and learn how to keep up the training for the last few days before graduation.

Quick tip 5 - Puppy papers, available from your pet store, are popular with some pet owners. Unfortunately, they have a similar effect as training your pup on newspaper and can just stretch the training period out even further.

Quick tip 6 - If you are diagnosed with strep throat, pneumonia, bronchitis, or a more serious infectious disease, you may want to get your pup to the vet. Dogs can both carry and contract human diseases and often need to be treated to get the virus out of the household completely.

Quick tip 7 - Dogs that play in areas frequented by cows and horses are at the highest risk for tetanus. If your dog loves to hang out in the stable or corral, be sure to check her for cuts and scratches before and after playtime and get her tetanus shot updated regularly.

Quick tip 8 - Try playing music while you're away to help calm your dog. There are tons of doggie-specific compilations available in music stores, many of which can help soothe nerves and ease the anxiety your pooch may feel when separated from you.

Quick tip 9 - If you've noticed that your dog's water intake is going down, fill a sport or bike bottle with water. After popping the top, place it inside your dog's cheek and squi

Whether your dog is the most perfect specimen of his breed or not, training him for the show ring can be a challenging task.

If you've decided to enter your dog in dog shows you need to have more than a pet that conforms to breed standards. You'll also need to learn how to groom and show your dog so that he looks his best for the judges.

A show dog must not only obey the commands of stay, sit and he'll but he has the added responsibility of walking and precision with his hand where in stopping in a certain spot and displaying a certain pose.

The earlier you can begin training your dog the better off you'll be. First off, you should teach your dog to remain calm when he Is being touched by judges as they will want to inspect his teeth denies as well as other body parts your dog may not want people touching. Obviously if you dog gets agitated and snaps at the judges, he will not be a good candidate for this show ring.

You'll want to practice this touching with your dog when you are bathing him and at other times during the day. Getting used to it. Have your friends galore and touch them just like a judge would so be used to strangers handling him. Needless to say the dog bit as well obedience trained and has a calm temperament is best for this sort of job.

you'll also want to pose (or stack) the dog as he will be in the ring. Practice this often and be sure he can hold the pose of a judge can get a good look.

Leash training your dog to walk with you is important and you want to make sure your dog will follow you no matter what direction you turn it. You want to start by training them to walk, or heel, beside you at a normal pace. Don't let him pull you, and don't let them run off in every direction possible. once he has the steno science, you want to practice sharp direction changes can be sure that he stays with you.

Some trainers use a clicker that they click when executing a direction change or you could tag and release the leash to let the dog know that you are changing. Practice Is making sure the dog stays right by your side and does not run ahead or lag behind.

Start off slowly and increase gradually over time until you are walking at a trot just like you would In the show ring.

You also want to make sure the dog stops when you do otherwise would be jerked back on the leash. You can use clicker training for this or use a gentle time on the leash. It doesn't hurt to give you got plenty of praise and a few treats him in there