First Coast Pet

Archive for September, 2009

The play by Peter Shaffer, where a psychiatrist attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological sexual obsession with horses, is reminiscent of the work of US photographer Monica Stevenson she uses luxury goods such as Tiffany bracelets and Hermes Scarves on and next to equines as the focus for some of her major work.

This piece of a horse wearing a luxury scarf ‘Hermes Scarf Horse’ won Stevenson a place in the ‘Advertising photographers of America’. The piece makes you ask questions such as, is the horse alive? What is tied around its ears? and touches on the use of animals as commodities. It makes you study the scarf in a way that you might not normally, were it simply presented on a model or in a Vogue or Vanity Fair centre spread.

A lot of Monica’s personal work extends to equine photography and so it was a natural progression for her to mix her work in advertising for luxury brands such as Tiffany and Co, Cartier, Hermes and Gucci with her love for horses.

Her photographs are potent and sexy, although, is there is something wrong about liking it? It feels as if Stevenson is pulling back the curtain and unveiling a taboo, daring us to keep watching.

The work does have a cruel edge to it, somewhat evil with the hair wound tightly around leather straps and saddle stirrups.

Stevenson also used bugs in her work, something that isnt instantly recognisable in fashion photography. She dares the observer to keep watching and in that, exposes the underbelly of each piece and holds it up for closer inspection.

What I love about her work is that it encapsulates a story in each shot, takes you into a fairytale world of Stevenson’s making, and although this world may not be a beautiful one much like the mind of Equus’s young hero, it is an intriguing one, and one that you seek to understand and return to again and again.

Your freshwater acquarium fish need a clean acquarium to maintain a healthy life. A clean aquarium will allow your plants and fish to live longer and healthier lives. Having a regular maintenance cycle is necessary for you to have healthy fish. It is also important to keep a regular schedule of maintaining your tank, like the way you maintain your car, so your fish can live safely. You should also consider selecting a high quality aquarium canister filter.

I can not stress enough how important it is to have the best equipment available to keep your aquarium clean. Changes in the enviornment of your fish and plants can result in their sensitivity to it. There are good steps you may follow to guarantee safety.

A regularly used household cleaner should never be used on their tank. There are chemical traces that can be toxic and you want to be sure they are not left behind, so thoroughly rinse it. All of your fish can die overnight by this cause. You didn’t want this ending.

A clean water supply must always be maintained. The key to this is purchasing and maintaining an appropriate filter and media. Good bateria usually exists in the filter and this helps eliminate toxins in the water. It is important to take care rinsing the filter media. If you were to remove all the good bacteria, then toxins such as ammonia might contaminate your aquarium. Filter manufactures usually supply you with cleaning instructions. It is important to follow these instructions and maintenance schedule they provide. Remember, too much cleaning can lead to removal of good bacteria. Your tank water may show an unwanted build up of waste and toxins if you don’t clean enough.

When looking for a superior filter you can’t go wrong with the filstar xp3 canister filter.

It is strongly indicated that your tank and all its decorations should be cleaned every two weeks. This is for glass tanks. Plan to clean your tank once a week if it made from acrylic. Make sure that you take steps to stop a buildup of algae.

Part of performing your acquarium cleaning should always be to check all of your mechanical equipment. Be certain that all items are functioning properly. A malfunction of your pump or a filter not circulating water is definitely unwanted. to maintain your tank and any problem that could get out of hand by inspecting these items every two weeks. If your old filter appears to be out of date, perhaps you should look at a solution such as the fluval 305 canister filter.

In addition to regular cleaning and inspecting the equipment, it is also important that you perform partial changes of the aquarium water. You are the only influence on your fish tank which is an ecosystem. On the other hand, it is not good that the waste building cannot remove itself. You should remember to change partial water and gravel sand or gravel periodically.

Add water conditioner at such time as you add or replace water in your acquarium. Use these to remove toxins from tap water. Tap water usually does include some clorine and amonia, which can surely hurt your fish and plants.

Prepare a schedule and do not divert from it. If you are going to be out of town, it is a good idea to have someone available who can perform the activities for you. Take care of your fish and their habitat and it will surely provide you with years of enjoyment.

Chicken coops runs must be made with the help of a proper planning. The runs are one of the most important areas in the coop. This is where the chickens usually move about. You must ensure free movement for the chickens in the run. So first of all you need to choose a perfect plan for building the run.

The run is the area where the birds can come out and get some fresh air and light. But as the chickens come out you have the fear of the predators. It is therefore vital to make sure your chickens are safe in the run. When you build the run make sure it is not near the place which has some dense growth, heavy bushes, woods and long grasses.

These places are ideal for the predators to hide. As soon the chicken will go out in the run they will jump over them and eat them up. So you need to build the run in an open space which is far from the dense growth. You should avoid letting your chickens fall prey to predators such as dogs and foxes.

Chicken runs can either be a free space or it can also be fenced. It depends on the area where you live. If you have too many predators around then you will surely need a fenced chicken coops runs. On the other hand if the predators come out only at night then you need to lock the chickens up before it gets dark.

Just in case your poultry pen runs can have a free range. It is often a good idea to place fences around your chicken ark but please ensure that these are installed correctly. Strong wire is a must to prevent predators from breaking into your coop. This will help you to keep the chickens safe and healthy.

Chicken wires are usually used for fencing. The wire should be buried under the ground. If you do this the predators will not be able to dig under the area of the run. Other than this, you can also make the floors of the chicken run concrete. This will stop foxes attacking your chicken coop from the inside.

You must also make sure that the chicken coops runs are kept free from any kind of dangerous objects that can cause harm to the chickens. If you find any protruding nails from the fence then you must remove it. Make sure that the electric wiring you use do not cause harm to the chickens.

If you think that you have a labrador puppy at home that is trying to make a crack at dominance, then you can be sure it is time for some labrador training.

It may sound unbelievable, but it is usually in the little things that the lure dominance wormed its way into your dog: allowing it to go ahead in leaving and entering the door, letting it pull you during walks, giving in to what it wants when it growls, etc. But from the point of view of Labrador training, what is to be done now?

Despite its rebellious instincts, the dog is not some ungrateful thing that is doing all this to bring you down. What actually is going on is that the dog, just like all dogs, was able to pick up the fact of someone’s fear and uncertainty in terms of the person’s interacting with the dog. In reaction, the dog is simply trying to assume control of things since you are not a source of confidence. But the toll on the dog comes in the form of its aggressive and high-strung behavior, something that signals a dominant behavior.

After settling the issue that your lack of firmness and consistency can affect the dog, the next thing needed is supprt for “Nothing in Life is Free” as a way to help the dog out of its dominant streak. The dog needs to learn in this scheme that if it wants or needs something, it will need to “pay” a price first, e.g. obeying a command. This means that if the dog wants to start eating, it needs to be sitting and calm. If it wants to go outside, it will need to be sitting by the door first. If it wants a toy to be thrown, it needs to be sitting down first.

Other things you can do include:

a) getting a crate. Put the dog inside whenever either of you need a break. But you need to maximize the importance of your crate by of course training the dog to appreciate the crate as a place of security and privacy.

b) training in obedience work with the dog. A good way to build the relationship you plan for the dog and yourself is to have “work” for it to do, 5 minutes a day several times through out the day. Start off with a long lead to get the puppy to run and play in the yard, after which obedience can start. Keeping the leash on the dog allows you to regain control of the dog.

In fact, basic obedience training may be a source of major solutions. Short fun positive training sessions will help strengthen the link between you and your dog. The best class for a puppy involves positive reinforcement techniques and also allows interaction, or playtime, off leash with other pups. Take the opportunity also to teach her new tricks while feeding by hand.

To end, set aside time and consistency in preparation for teaching a dog that you are alpha. Keep in mind that the Labrador training is indeed part and parcel of dog raising, and that the dog must not experienced a day without “Nothing in Life is Free.”

Labradors, packing a large size and big love for the water, make excellent dog athletes are the best playmates for growing children. But then comes along a rare young labrador with high energy that is too much to handle. Moreover, the dog gets overwhelmingly excited within seconds, and is essentially out of control. Owners all too familiar with these hyper-whirlwinds identify triggers such as noisy children or other dogs and people.

Lest people pin the blame on aggressiveness, the real Labrador training dilemma is actually a dog that is capable of hurting out of a high emotion burst of energy. But still the issue remains of what is an owner to do, considering for example that the owner wants other alternatives besides putting the dog on leash every time somebody visits?

Besides spaying or neutering the hyper active dog (and these happen to be the most effective), the immediate step is to train it alone on a leash.

The idea of ‘Nothing In Life Is Free’ is another very effective and very fair scheme your dog will definitely not balk at accepting. It involves the basic idea that the dog will have to be in a certain behavior first or action, before it can get whatever it is it wants or needs. A good example here is that the dog needs to be calm and sitting down prior to walks or meals. It also means it cannot leave or enter a door without obeying your “Sit”, a waiting time, and a release command in the form of a clear “OK.” Naturally, do not be careless or haphazard in giving commands, because what is sure is that if you cannot enforce it, the dog will take advantage of it!

With the appropriate Labrador training, it is possible to have a drastic turn around. Sometimes the same house whirlwind can be taken to heavily crowded areas, with plenty of dogs and people, and yet the dog is able to behave as if there is nothing special going on. The dog can be made to sit and focus on its owner, and is positively not distracted by noisy pedestrians.

To conclude, the keys for lab owners who wish to form well the personality of their active dogs is consistency and firmness, to regularly give the dog their share of exercise, and to have ways of enforcing commands whenever there are distractions (unless there is a good way to get rid of distractions). Dog owners must also never forget how to be calm and level-headed in training the dog, knowing that dogs will not think twice about ignoring angry humans!

Despite what multiple talents dog owners expect of their dogs, the labrador is simply the dog that can be imperfect, and can be prone to recall problems when they are very focused on other things. How can dog owners use Labrador Training to check this otherwise unhelpful habit?

First of all, viewed in its very essential core, it takes food (or rather, a set group of words that the dog can unmistakably link to the coming presence of food) and a familiar sound to make the dogs get their bearings and respond to recall. The first is not hard to understand, but the second has the following as an example. One trainer claims that he whistles the same tone everytime before he feeds his labs, even if they are right next to him. He whistles before he throws the ball, before he rubs bellies, etc. It all amounts to whistling before anything good. In the end, the result of his mere whistling is that the dogs actually come running.

An alternative Labrador training plan to review and stabilize your dog’s recall is the following. Visualize the dog park as the top destination for you and your dog. But before you both head check out that place, you as owner will need to verify that your own dog is 100% strong and sure of recall in a quiet area. In all your practices, ensure a reward whenever the dog comes to you, and give a well-meaning correction if the dog fails. What one owner would do in response to an error would be to grab the dogs by the collar, haul them to the spot from where the dog was called, with you the owner saying all the while “I said Come.” Upon coming to the spot, tell the dog “Good come” followed by a treat.

The point here is that the dog needs to know that in recall commands, away from the master is bad, with you is good and not coming to you ought not to happen. The preceding tip, coupled with treats in case the dog does come, helps the dog in non-distracting environments.

Exercise the dog’s recall through distractions. Distances need to be lessened in your sessions, until they can handle the distractions. Once you have gotten through some mild distractions, try keeping the dog on a leash for a while once you get to the park. Practice recalls, with rewards of course. After he is done successfully, it is still up to you if a couple more on-leash visits will trim any desire to run off into the horizon. But get him familiar to the idea that returning when you call does not really mean the fun is totally over.

There is real hard work up ahead indeed, but the dog will get used to all of it in the end. Bringing along treats every time is a recurring advice here, although dogs can also be happy with praise.

Soon, you can actually enjoy letting your dog run off lead in the park, but you will get to enjoy the magic of Labrador training when you can easily call the dog off distractions in the form of people and other dogs.

Boredom is probably the primary cause of dog shenanigans, as anyone who has left their pet at home to return to a completely ravaged house with household refuse spread about from one end of the place to other and a chewed up rug can tesitify to. Or that 2 foot deep hole under the fence, or the shredded curtains, or any number of instances of disastrous and seemingly vandalistic chaos and destruction!

The thing is, your dog is totally bored and getting fun anyway he can. Probably a bit miffed at being left at home again too. Thats why he has been barking all day and the neighbours look daggers at you when you drive home from work. The thing about most dogs is that they simply dont have enough mental stimulus when they are home alone, however the most straightforward thing to do is to appeal to his most active need apart from the need for human companionship ~ of course I am referring to food!

There are very few dogs who are not obsessed with food, the eating of it, the finding it and the playing with it. Here are a few ideas that will keep your dog mentally occupied during the day.

Another neat idea is freezing various kinds of foods. Get a hollow dog toy, maybe a ball or a Kong, fill it with your dog’s favourite edible obsession, throw something smelly in there like kabana and put it in the freezer over night. The expression on his face when you give it to him is kinda worth it too, once he has had a good look at it. He knows its food, but he can’t quite get to it; as it gradually defrosts, more and more tid bits become available. Trust me, he wont go that distant from it and will be chewing at it all day.

If your pet drinks milk, try freezing a tetra pack and putting it in his bowl. This also works well with soup.

Try concealing a few treats around the yard under containers, in flower beds and so on.

Ensure he has some things to chew on other than the tyres of your Harley. Pig ears are pretty good.

Teach your dog! There are plenty of on line training courses available, covering various tried and tested techniques. Come up with one that suits you and your dog and start a regime. It will discipline your dog, keep him mentally alert and controllable.

Give him some room to run from time to time. Dogs love exercise with their owners, you cant just leave them confined in a yard with a bunch of toys for weeks at a time. Try to walk him everyday, and take him to an off leash park or an area where he can run his legs off. The more exercise and freedom a dog gets, the more content he will be. There are some dogs that are really working dogs, and they absolutely need to be, well, worked. If you are the couch potato type, you should really look at a breed that is content to do nothing all day and has a low energy level.

Having some doggy company can help too, but still all the above principals apply, unless you want to have two paranoid destructive barking messengers of chaos and anarchy on your hands instead of just one. Give them things to play with, hide food treats, give them things to eat which are hard to get at; have a look at some dog training courses and give them plenty of excercise and freedom and your dog will be happy and well adjusted.

Interpreting your dog’s body language may seem like a peculiar thing to contemplate. Most people pay little regard to the physchology of body language in general, at least consciously, and probably don’t notice it in their dog at all, however most dog training courses refer to it. Keep in mind, though, that your dog doesn’t just ruff to tell you how it feels. In spite of the training technique you decide to use, it will be helpful to understand what it means when your dog behaves in certain ways.

To start, you should understand that lots of dogs communicate with their eyes. You also can convey a understanding to your dog with only your eyes! If you keep a look out for some facial tics and expressions, you can know a surprising amount about how your dog is feeling, and communicate what you’re thinking as well. This can be a very valuable insight when training your dog.

In certain occasions, however, direct eye contact with a dog can be misunderstood by the animal as aggressive or hostile behavior. Your dog may react with antagonistic behavior, which can evolve into other behavioral issues. This is an excellent reason why it’s imperative to study as much about your dog’s body language (and how you can use your own body language to discourse with your dog) as you can.

Keep in mind that when dogs form themselves in wild pacKs, they use these gestures to communicate. Dogs will attempt to communicate with their masters in this manner. Human dog owners are at fault for their failure to understand the signals their dogs send. Signals might be made up of the following behavior:  sniffing, freezing, yawning, licking, turning their head, among other signs.

You can talk with your dog a lot better, and relate more easily to them, if you recognize these signals. You can then understand your dog’s desires and requirements with more effective communication. It’s likely your dog will become frustrated if you can’t comprehend what the signals mean, and this can slow down your training method. Get educated on your dog’s body language, in order to improve your training technique and coerce your dog to listen to you in turn.

Furthermore, you need to be aware of your own body language. Any show of submission will be taken advantage of. You’ll be showing your lack of control to the dog, a power vacuum the dog will try to put in. Conflicts of interest may result and permanently impair the close relationship that you are working to develop with your dog.

As beneficial as reading your dog’s body language can be, it’s appalling to discover that not very many dog owners really understand it. Understanding the way that your dog thinks can bring an extra dimension to your time together and is well worth learning about. Learning to understand your dog’s body language is enormous step toward communicating effectively with your pet and fostering a long and satisfying relationship.

In It’s Me or the Dog, Victoria Stilwell made famous by the TV show of the same name in the United Kingdom shows how to adapt your dog into human life. It is a primer in how to make a dog comfortable in your home and in effect as you do so make your life more comfortable too. This book has many, many fans that love the way in which it is written and rival Stillwell with the dog whisperer Cesar Millan.

In the sphere of It’s Me or else the Dog, the author uses very apparent and welcoming language to interrupt and explain each aspect of dog ownership. She covers all the essentials and includes a little topics with the aim of many dog books leave dazed. Rebuff dog lover ought to be present with no this put your name down for. It is a notable reference tool the same as well the same as recently a plain first-class read. Dog training books can be present very dry but not this put your name down for. It is colorful and well in black and white in the sphere of an comfortable to get the gist laid-back voice. It’s a pleasant and fun read too. She stresses how of great consequence it is not to break your dog with cruelty or else punishment but to lovingly train them with the tone and face of your voice.

Inside the pages of the well-written put your name down for it dog training books owners how to adapt their dogs into their living natural world with rebuff ordeal or else stress. She teaches how to understand what did you say? Your dog is thinking and how to communicate with your dog just the once you acquire to know what did you say? They poverty or else need. Everything from farmhouse training to diet is covered in the sphere of the put your name down for and is well laid dazed and comfortable to understand. Stillwell has a notable talent in the sphere of being able to write down in the sphere of the same voice she uses on her television instruct.

Everybody ought to maintain a replicate of It’s Me or else the Dog, Victoria Stillwell is so notable by the side of explaining and linking everything to the dog’s well being. Near is rebuff doubt with the aim of just the once you maintain read the put your name down for you strength of character reference it in excess of and in excess of again the same as your dog ages along with you. It can transform your in one piece life the same as it relates to the dog and your people. Your dog is indeed part of the people and making him or else her the same as opportune and the same as comfortable the same as can be present is of great consequence in favor of their pure the same as well the same as mental shape. Be present first-class to your dog and get pleasure from.

Near are truck masses of dog training books and submission in the sphere of libraries, hardback shops and the internet someplace still you look, but the question is which single hardback is up for grabs to give the in a row germane to your puppies regard needs. On behalf of demand I personally accomplish not like shock collars and brace collars, and like better assured reward on behalf of worthy behavior. A worthy solution is 1 or else 2 books with the aim of cover the needs of the new to the job part of your species from being a pup totally all through its adult life, but near seem to survive far too many of folks to the same degree well.

It would actually be beneficial to buy and read this information before buying a puppy, however any time you need information is a good time to have it as well.

You give to get hold of something with the aim of yearn for concoct gist, and like a new to the job born baby the puppy does not arrive with a handbook, but by the side of smallest amount with a baby you are raising a soul being. To the same degree far to the same degree the puppy is concerned it does not envision our soul humankind being in the least dissimilar from their canine humankind, therefore we had better get hold of banned what did you say? Makes them tick so by the side of smallest amount we give opening to survive able to coach our pup into a little acceptable behaviors and submission to concoct our to your house a fortunate to your house on behalf of all living in the sphere of it.

The information you would hope to find in the books should cover things like:

* Welcoming a new pup to your home
* Introducing your pup to his bed
* potty training puppy
* Working out what toys your dog likes
* how to win your puppies love
* How to raise your puppy
* How to stop chewing dogs
* Prevent destructive chewing of your belongings
* Getting the puppy to sit, come, stay and heel
* Getting the pup to fetch and lie down
* How to correctly praise your dog
* Stop the pup from jumping up on you or other people
* The correct way to use food
* Choosing a good vet
* Why somethings work and why others may not be right for your dog

With the aim of is a batch of in a row to read with reference to and I am reliable with the aim of I give not covered all of the subjects or else questions with the aim of you can need answers on behalf of from a hardback, but fortunately near are reviews with the aim of give investigated and analysed a batch of the in a row to be had potentially saving dog owners batch of instant and valuable money. Dog training books.