Guinea Pig Breeding

Author: Lee Martin

Guinea Pig Breeding

The guinea pig has been a favorite pet in many western cultures since the late 1700′s. Guinea pigs originated in the Andes Mountains of South America and are particularly suited as household pets because of their gentle demeanor, easy of care and friendliness towards humans. Guineas are a particularly fertile animal, related to the Caviidae family of rodents but are neither pigs nor from Guinea. Guineas are still popular today in many South American countries as a food source because they require very little resources to maintain and breed extremely quickly.

Guinea pig breeding has evolved beyond food production needs and is now considered a popular past time for those keeping guineas as pets. Guinea pigs come in a variety of shapes colors and sizes from long to short hair and everything in between.

Similar to many rodent species guineas are able to breed year round, though typically have the largest litters during spring pregnancies. Guinea pig breeding is controllable if your take precautions. Guinea litters can contain 1-8 pups but are normally 3-4 pups in size. Guineas are born nearly fully matured with hair, claws and a full range of senses including sight. Shortly after birth they are able to move about freely and eat solid foods. Males reach sexual maturity 3-5 weeks after birth while females typically sexually mature 4-6 weeks after birth. They reaches adult maturity around 8-12 months of age and can live up to 11 years though the average life span is 3-6 years.

Since females are able to become pregnant within a month after being born guineas can and do breed and have litters several times per year. Even more amazing is the fact that a female can become pregnant after about 4 hours of giving birth (so it is extremely important to separate adult males and breeding females after birth if you do not wish to produce more litters!). Guineas breeding out of control sometimes happens if you do not watch your piggies. Gestation last between 60-70 days as pig pups are born at a late stage near full maturity. They normally do not require any assistance during birth all though a guinea pig that has not had at least one litter by the age of six months may have problems with pregnancy later on as the hip bones of females with fuse together without birth experience. If a females hipbones do fuse together giving birth after the fact can normally only be done by cesarean section, as natural birth is no longer an option.

Male and female pigs are nearly indistinguishable from one another by outward appearance and normally can only be told apart by an examination of the pubic areas. Guineas are extremely social animals so much that when co-habitation mothers have litters together they will share and nurse each others young if lactating. When raising and breeding them, it is important to handle and pet the young, shortly after birth to ensure bonding. Unlike some animals a human’s touch will not cause rejection by the mother in pigs. In fact the sooner and more often a newly born guinea pup is introduced to humans the better, as guineas imprint social bonds from an early age. If they are touched, handled and petted shortly after birth they will become far gentler and people friendly pets. Raising guinea pigs can be a fun and rewarding hobby if responsibility is taken to ensure mothers and pups are cared for properly.

By: Lee Martin

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Author: Lee Martin
Resource Site : http://www.Guinea-Pig-Lovers.com
Come to the site and look around. Lots of good information.
Also a Free Mini-Course, for anyone wanting more
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Some Basic Training Tips For Dogs

Some Basic Training Tips For Dogs.Author: John Singleson

Have you recently brought home a little puppy? Then you may be interested in giving your dog some basic training. You can get an obedience instructor for the job, or you yourself can train your pet.

The fees of the obedience instructors can differ, and you would also have to take your dog to the class where the training would take place. But if you are the trainer, you can have the whole thing done almost without any expense, and that too at your own home. So if you have decided to be the trainer, you must have some knowledge on dog training first.

You should teach your dog three basic things first – sit, stay, and come. The first thing you need to teach your dog is to sit. The one thing you would surely need for this is dog treats.

Make sure that you choose a quiet place for this training, so as not to distract your dog’s attention. Ask the dog to sit again and again while you hold the treat over his head. Thus, he will have to turn his head up, and will sit there willingly to get the treat.

If he still doesn’t sit, gently push his back down. When you have made him sit, praise him and give him his treat. If you repeat the word ‘sit’, your dog will realize that the command is related to sitting and will obey you to receive his rewards.

The next thing you need to teach your dog is to stay. This part of the training can be a little difficult. This is a command which your dog would have to learn when you teach him to “come”. Make him sit in a place without any direction.

Repeat the word “stay” as you gradually walk back. Maintain an eye contact with the dog, and if he rises from his position, say “no” and start all over again. This training does take some time and patience. It would be easies if you initially get someone to sit and hold him back if he doesn’t “stay”.

If he has learnt this part, try walking away with your back towards the dog. He will probably rise now to follow you. Tell him “no” and repeat the process asking him to stay in his position as you move away.

When your dog has passed this test, teach him to come. Make him stay and then call him in a cheerful voice and thump your knee as you repeat the word “come”. Reward him, as he will probably respond to your call promptly enough.

The key word of dog training is praise, and not punishment, as dogs respond more to a positive behavior, rather than a negative one. Keep these tips in mind and you would be able to install these three basic commands into your dog.

If you follow this process of training, you would surely be the proud owner of an obedient pet whom everybody praises.

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Guidelines To Training Your Dog

Author: John Singleson

Every dog needs to be trained in the house, and the process is quite long. Just like during our childhood we never used proper toilet, even the dogs may do toilet on carpets. So, they must never be scolded.

Dog house training requires you to be extremely attentive and do a lot of work, thus making it one of the toughest techniques of dog training. You may believe that the dog will bark when he needs the toilet, but if you are not lucky enough to have such a dog, then be prepared to have an accident with the results showing all over the house! So, it is always better that you learn to read your dog’s body language.

Dog training is quite simple and requires you to follow quite a few steps. However, it is, as already said, time consuming. To start with, it is best to put a newspaper at the door, so that when you find your dog doing one of those accidents in the house, you can immediately take him there. That way your dog learns to do it on the paper the next time he needs to do, without your help. For your house training, you need to know that when your dog wants to toilet, he would tend to get restless and start sniffing around the place. At this point you must pick up your dog and take him outside. If it is a young puppy, then you must make sure to take him out every hour, for at least once. After taking your dog out, you need to give him the command you wish to use during the training, such as “do the toilet” or “do your business”. Now, the dog must be appreciated for following your commands and thus you must give him lots of affection after he has done his work (since it is always better to wait till he is finished!). This would help in making your dog realize that the place to do it is outside, and soon you would find him asking you to take him out when he needs to do it.

There are a number of training techniques and routines that you may use to train your dog at home. You can learn them from the hundreds of books available these days. It must be borne in mind that dogs have to be taught to do toilet outside, as no dog knows it by himself. So, you must teach your dog in case you do not want accidents in your house, and do remember to clean up the mess.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.comGuidelines To Training Your Dog

Training Your Dog Is Very Important

Author: John Singleson

I know I know, you probably think any sort of training will interrupt the wonderful relationship you share with your dog. Sure it does yell rather annoyingly when you take it out on walks, and you do have to lock it up during dinner parties given how it snarls and growls at your friends four year old, but that’s all ok, because that’s what dogs do right? Ummm….not really. Sorry to burst your bubble but in spite of not being a human being your dog too is expected to be polite. Sure his antics might seem adorable to you, you might think it’s cute when he jumps up at neighbors and scratches up doors, but your dog’s victims sure as hell wouldn’t agree with you.

You might think you do not want to exercise the sort of authority required to tell him to behave any better, and that’s all quite all right really. Being the owner of a dog doesn’t require you to suddenly transform into a whip swinging ring master and you are right in denouncing the pathetic idea of establishing who the boss is when dealing with an animal.

Where you are wrong, however, is in your basic understanding of dog training. You need to realize that training your dog is not about proving how much better you are than it, you are not trying to teach it ‘human rules’ and thereby attempting to make it more ‘human’, training is not a method of ‘humanizing’ a dog. What it is, in fact, is a way of improving the relationship you share with your pet, and of course a means of making it more sociable.

‘What’s the point of that?’ you might ask. Well, here is the thing. Most of us spend the larger fraction of our daily lives toiling in office, drinking our instant coffee, reading those balance sheets. The little time we get with our family and pets we try to merge with some sort of socializing. We go to the park for a stroll on a lovely evening after work, or to a friend’s house to watch a movie. If our dogs are unfriendly then on all these occasions we keep it back home, alone, such that in no time it’s in no way a part of our life at all.

Now, like human beings your dog too gets lonely, it gets lonely and depressed and awfully sad especially when it’s left all alone in a dark house where there isn’t anyone to pat his tired little head.

So you see ultimately due to your aversion towards training you keep your dog from enjoying the sort of company and activities it would like to.

Obedience training is a means of letting your dog cope better with it’s immediate environment. It grants every dog an easier life and makes them easier to live with. Training your dog will give you more opportunity to spend more time with your beloved pet, no matter where you are going and who you are going with.

So get in their and give your dog a nice pat and take it out for training. A few magic words like ‘heel’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘come’ and ‘sit’, will change your relationship with your favorite companion forever. Good luck.

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A Couple Of Facts You Should Know About Dog Traning

Author: John Singleson

Known as man’s best friend, Dogs are the most loved domesticated animals in the world. Having a dog or puppy in a family is quite exciting for that family. But just having a dog or a puppy is not all. One should also pay attention to training his/her dog properly so that he can become an obedient and accepting part of the family. Dog training is not a simple job; it demands certain skills and approaches in order to make it useful, which can be learned in course of training. It is believed to be a good idea to train your dog yourself, though you can appoint or hire an expert or specialized dog trainer to look after the job. But both the ways have their respective merits and demerits.

Though you might commit mistakes and there could be instability in your approach it is always helpful to train your dog yourself as it gives you a better chance of establishing that significant contact or communication between you and your dog. You will gradually understand how your dog is reacting to any particular situation or what cause them to do a specific action – like barking. On the contrary, appointing a skilled person gives you immediate results but does not allow you to experience the “trial and error” method possible when training personally, which can be useful at some point of time.

Some will ask you to go for a blend of the two – train yourself, but also join a professional dog training class. This helps you to attend several things, its like eating your cake, and still keeping it. It also cuts down your expenses, needed in the case of professional trainer and still providing with the professional direction for the training. At the same time it also allows you to establish that special bond, which is possible when you train your dog by yourself.

Always keep in mind that patience; environment, and rewards are very important factors, irrespective of how you chose to train your dog. These factors affect a lot and give you total success if properly maintained.

While training you need patience, keeping in mind the fact that you are going to communicate with someone who does not speak your language or follow your way of using any communicative methods. If you see that your hard work is not yielding any satisfactory results or that you are not being able to proceed with it just do not give up. It will take some time to make your dog bark or sit by simply uttering or calling out some words to him as it is not a language which is natural or previously known to him. You have to go for many repetitions and must praise him, whenever he does something correctly, to get results.

Environment also plays an important part in dog training as dogs are very much influenced by their environment. It is better to do the training session in a quiet place with fewer disturbances, as any disturbance at the time of training can easily distract their attention. On the other hand you can select a noisier place for advanced training, but only after he is trained in basic obedience.

Dogs, being man’s good friend, always try to please their owners and keep them contented. So in order to get a profitable result you must let know your dog when you are happy with him and reward him with cuddles or any treat after he performs anything, the way you wanted. This will give your dog an impression that you are happy with him and he will try to hold up this act of his in future.

So, dog training can be equally challenging and easy, if you follow the instructions provided to you here.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.comA Couple Of Facts You Should Know About Dog Traning

Information On Training Your Dog To Be Obedient

Author: John Singleson

Dog training will transform the dog’s mannerisms, from a dog that will not do as he is told by you to a dog that will pay attention to your orders, from a dog that is annoying the neighbors into a calm one, from a dog that is at all times scampering from you into a dog that will remain at a halt at your order. Just like in any other training scheme, there are some methods to be followed.

The dog has got to be familiar with his name, so he can act in response to the master’s instructions. When he is familiar with his own name, you can begin teaching with the check lead and instruct “here” or “come”. You can begin all this in the house, but initially, he has to be able to make out his own name. If you would like the puppy to pay attention just to you, then do not permit him to play with other people. If you will allow him to play too much, he will begin to snarl and bark every time you take his playthings away.

One more essential feature of dog training is that you have to teach your pet, so no one will get harmed when you are out with him and people are all about him. By making use of the dog training instructions correctly, you do not have to be anxious that he will bite off someone or he will scamper off. Even if you have trained your dog to be compliant and pay heed you, you should admire him as well since after all, you selected him, he could not select you, and if you will not take care of him properly, he will in all probability run away, or he will be miserable. The fundamental dog training instructions that a dog should act in response to are: fetch, stay close, here, sit and come.

- Begin teaching the dog whilst he is still a puppy – this makes sure of much better achievement rates even for starting out dog trainers.

- Put up some information on dog training and only then acquire a new puppy.

- Free dog obedience training programs ought to be modified to the precise necessities of your dog breed. Please see our collection of precise dog breed training techniques in order to get more understanding on this subject.

- Make certain that the puppy is in high spirits and has an adequate amount of energy to try out training.

- Be inventive, by no means let the puppy get fed up and coach the dog where the limits are set.

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Learn How To Train Your Dalmation

Author: John Singleson

Dalmatian training courses are planned to go well with the dog’s innate character of a companion dog. Dalmatians look for love and fondness but just from the people they have faith in – and they are likely to take some time prior to believing in unfamiliar persons. Just as with every dog breed, character dissimilarity can be observed with Dalmatians – a few are easier to coach, a few will give you a tough time. Given below are a small number of the most general Dalmatian training guidelines that will help you out to form your dog into a genuine buddy and friend:

Tolerance is essential when teaching a Dalmatian – they are to a certain extent individualistic and you may have to go through a schedule more than a few times before they begin learning – not for the reason that they do not have the aptitude, but since they have a tendency to have their own way in the beginning.

Even though they grow up from a bodily point of view comparatively quick, they still behave like puppies till they are nearly one and a half to two years old. And in case you are in search of a few good training tips, here they are – do not look forward to matured behavior from your dog till he is about 2 years old what’s more, then also, do not curb his mischievous temperament totally.

Dalmatians are full of life dogs, so make certain to present them training practices that engage physical workouts – they adore it.

Dalmatian housebreaking training is not very tricky and the dog learns rapidly what is permitted and not permitted in the region of the house.

Chewing up playthings are a necessity with the Dalmatian. Given that they are in a puppy situation for a longer period than the majority of dogs, you ought to make an effort to conform your training techniques to this as well. Begin the training program for your Dalmatian early on or else the puppy will grow into a very individualistic Dalmatian a lot tougher to train. A number of Dalmatians do fine in tracking and obedience tests, but you have to locate the ones with the appropriate traits if you are in view of coaching them professionally. The road test, an activity in which the dog goes along with a horse drawn coach or a horse by way of an adornment and also as security is a much loved Dalmatian activity.

Training your Dalmatian in obedience instructions is not diverse from the other dog breeds, but bear in mind that you are coping with a vigorous and obstinate breed, and tolerance and imagination have to be united if the dog training course intends to be an accomplishment.

When taken care of appropriately, these dogs can be alive up to 16 years. Good Dalmatian training will make sure of an improved life, both for you and your dotted pet.

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How To Train Your Dog To Sit

Author: John Singleson

A badly trained dog is an annoyance and can even be a threat to himself and others. A correctly trained dog, on the other had, is a fantastic and enjoyable buddy. In addition to assisting you to bond, it can even shield your pet from being harmed if he pays attention and will come when called.

When teaching always keep in mind that dogs react best to encouraging backing- shouting at your dog and beating him will not get done the job, in its place use rewards such as goodies and your appreciation – this will make the job much more enjoyable for both of you!

There is a general “process” to teaching, no matter what you want the dog to do. They solution is to get the dog to carry out the act and at that precise instant give the instruction for the act, then commend the dog and reward him with a goody. After a while, he will get the message and connect the act with the instruction.

Given below some ways you can make use of to teach your dog with the most fundamental instruction – Sit.

1. The first thing you have to do is to get your puppy or dog to connect the action of sitting with the instruction. To do this, merely spend time with your dog and when he sits give the “sit” instruction.

2. Going down to your dog’s height will let you to give his reward (goodies) faster so take hold of a handful of bite sized goodies and got down on the floor.

3. Take the goody up above the dog’s head. He will smell the food and go behind it with his nose. This act will compel him to sit – or backup, but apparently we are hopeful for the sitting act.

4. The solution to the teaching is to give the reward at the precise instant the dog sits, but you have got to also give the instruction at that instant as well so that he links instruction with act. Hence when your dog sits, you should say “sit”, following it up by right away giving him the goody.

5. Shower praise on your dog – demonstrate delight in your voice; this will actually make him act in response.

6. Go over three to five times at each sitting but no more than that. Training should be enjoyable and not an uninteresting odd job, so do not go over the top with it in one sitting. You might have more than a few sittings all through the day.

When you use up the time to teach your dog, you get much more than just a dog that does a number of antics. He is keen to do things with you. He grasps to pay attention when you say his name. He gets accustomed to being with you and doing things on your command. Through fine training your stance as a person in charge is made stronger. You ought to arrange to use up a couple of minutes every day on working his “tricks”. This sort of recurring reinforcement will help him to keep in mind and in addition generate the bond between you and him.

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Dogs Have Many Moods That Your Should Know About

Author: John Singleson

Arrange your puppy training to be easier and more enjoyable by comprehending that your puppy is making an effort to connect with you in further ways than barking or wiggling his tail. Keep in mind, your puppy also tries to communicate with his ears, paws, tail, mouth and more and your puppy teaching and day to day life with your dog will be to a large extent more enjoyable.

Here are a few guidelines to some fundamental body language of your dog and its meaning:

Dominant – You will come across that a dominant dog will have the ears directly up or frontward, its mouth a little open or closed, its eyes wide open or looking intently, its body standing rigid and tall with hackles perhaps lifted up, and its tail out from the body rigid or plumped up. A low down and aggressive bark can frequently be anticipated.

Friendly – A friendly dog has upraised ears, open and watchful eyes, a calm mouth, the whole rear end or tail wagging, and perhaps whining, yelping or giving out small barking sounds.

Playful – A bended over pose with the tail wagging implies, “come, let us play.”

Submissive – A dog with its ears firmly back, eyes closed and paw lifted up is presenting excessive submission. The dog is not in high spirits but shows it will not assault.

Aggressive – An aggressive dog has its ears packed down behind touching its head, its eyes tapering or testing, body on edge, mouth open to show teeth and tail held out from the body and ruffled up if possible. Growls or howls are usual.

Worried – Quick barks along with howling, ears compressed and neck hairs lifted up means “I’m worried” or “something is wrong.”

Fear – A dog shows fear with a lowered posture, tail down or put underside, an curved back, looking or turning head even as showing the whites of their whites of eyes and enlarged pupils. Dogs frequently bark out of fear, in particular if they are in a tight spot, cooped up, or on a restraint.

Stressed – A dog under stress will frequently have its ears down and back, mouth wide open, and the lips being drawn backwards with fast breathing. Also tail put down, shoulders lowered, bent frontward, nervousness in attitude and it will almost certainly be shaking.

Now that you know more about what your puppy is making any effort to say to you about how he senses or the frame of mind he is in, try to put up this in your puppy training and day to day life.

In a puppy training sitting your dog should be showing that he is in a responsive or mischievous mood. If he shows he is commanding then you can make out that he may not be taking you sincerely or may well be being obstinate and you most likely have to be more forceful.

A little submissive conduct is not a bad thing as it means that that he knows that you are in command.

If your puppy turns out to be hassled, terrified, troubled or even hostile, you have got to stop your teaching and comfort your dog right away. If you have been teaching for more than 15 minutes, discontinue and take a breather. When you come back take things more leisurely or commence things in a different way.

Use your awareness in day to day life too. Watch your puppy in different circumstances and you will soon find out what he is fond of and hates or what his state of mind is. You can then take action to give him more of what he takes pleasure in and more encouragement, assurance and teaching in circumstances he finds more complex.

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Know About Punishment And Reward For Your Puppy

Author: John Singleson

There are certain things which should be kept in mind while training one’s dog. There are different techniques of dog training.

Some of these techniques are quite useful, while some others can bear negative results. It is therefore quite natural to get confused with so many sides of dog training, as it is difficult to tell which one works the best.

The most common confusion, which people tend to have, is when to reward and when to rebuke the dog. If you are such a confused one, the following tips will help you.

Your dog-training instructor will probably tell you that you should always keep a positive air while dog training. But actually you would need to be stern in certain situations.

However, you must not scold your dog too frequently, as dogs always give a better response if they get a positive behavior from their trainer. So it is first important for you to realize when to praise your dog.

Your dog should get a reward every time he obeys you during the training process. You should reward him if he sits, stays, fetches, goes to toilet in the proper place, or does anything he his ordered.

His rewards can be anything – praises or kind words, treats, a rub on his belly, or a pat on his head!

Positive dog training makes the learning process quicker. What your dog actually wants is to please you, and that is why it will respond better with this kind of teaching. But make sure that you do not go on rewarding him even when he disobeys you.

Scolding is something, which should not be used unless it is necessary. You can reprimand your dog if he jumps, barks, growls, pulls at his leash, destroys anything, or excretes where he should not.

However, do not scold him unless you catch him doing something wrong.

Or else, he will not realize why you are reproving him. A quick and sharp “no!” or “bad dog!” should be enough of a scolding.

You should keep an angry condemning tone, and make sure that you are crisp and quick in your scolding. But if you are too frequent in your reproaches, your dog will ultimately start ignoring you. Do not ever hit the dog, as it will only lead to complications in future.

These are the points that you should keep in mind when you decide to praise or scold your dog. Do not forget that your pet has only started learning, and is trying to do his best. So patience is something that you must have.

If you are loving and understanding enough, your dog would find the training easy, and ultimately it will be a wonderful experience for you two!

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