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Summery :

1. What is a heart murmur in dogs?
2. What are the causes?
3. How serious is it?
4. What are the symptoms?
5. What tests should be done for diagnosis?
6. How to cure it?
7. What is the prognosis?
8. Heart murmur in puppies, what are the causes?

1- Training Puppies: Dogs Need Rules

A loving and coherent educational path aimed at puppies is the basis of a human-dog coexistence that is truly satisfying and free of stress. The fact that dogs are put in a position to learn from the beginning what their role in the family is and what limits should not be crossed actively contributes not only to the good climate in the home but also to the healthy development of the dog itself.

Dogs are pack animals that, for their mental well-being, need clear patterns and rules. A negligent or insecure owner who gives too much freedom to his four-legged friend or who behaves inconsistently, confuses the puppy and somehow induces him to have unwanted or even dangerous behaviors, behaviors that will then be difficult to get the dog to abandon. adult dog .

[blockquote align=”none” author=”Steve Jobs”]Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking[/blockquote]

What does a puppy need to learn?

So what does the puppy need to learn to ensure that future cohabitation at home goes smoothly? And when is the right time to begin the educational journey with the puppy? Surely you have already asked yourself these questions several times, if you intend to adopt a puppy or if a dog has just moved in with you. There is no doubt that a dog that is still young and wild at the beginning can turn the life of the family upside down and create a lot of confusion at home. For this reason, it is all the more important to clarify to the little tornado from the beginning what he can and cannot do.pidly growing ones, and resolve spontaneously after 4-6 months of life.

A clear direction from the beginning

Of course, your new tenant, with his cute appearance and his clumsy “paws”, will make it very difficult for you to maintain consistent behavior. Who can resist a cute puppy who asks for a piece of sausage at the table or who curls up forsleep on the bed with you ? How could a dog understand that as an adult he is no longer allowed to enjoy these privileges?

That is why you should set up your domestic life with your dog from the very beginning as you imagine and desire it, making it clear to your furry friend which behaviors are important to you and which you do not intend to tolerate under any circumstances. If you stick to this clear line consistently and from the very beginning, your dog will soon learn what “his place” is in the house and you will hardly have problems with him when he is an adult dog.

Who’s the boss here?

Dogs who have already learnedpuppies who is the boss, in the family, usually accept this kind of hierarchy throughout their lives – of course, as long as you always maintain the position of “pack leader”. Even if authoritarian leadership is no longer required nowadays, in the company as in the family, in dog breeding there is still no viable alternative. Dogs want to rely on their owner.

For a dog to follow the decisions and commands of his human, he must be able to trust him and his judgment. Clear commands, a calm but firm tone of voice, and body language consistent with what is said give the dog a feeling of security.

Clear commands and unambiguous signals

Dogs are very good at reading facial expressions and are more likely to respond quickly to simple hand movements than to long, complicated sentences that they can only guess at from our tone of voice. First think carefully about how you want to give your puppy basic commands like “Sit!”, “Leave it!”, “Let’s go!” and what gestures you can use to emphasize them. After that, stick to these simple commands by always using the same key words and hand movements.

To avoid being misunderstood by your young friend, you should avoid long sentences like: “Honey, now please wait here in front of the supermarket because I have to do some shopping”. In order for the dog to learn the basic obedience necessary for coexistence, it must receive short and clear instructions that always correspond to the same behavior.

Praise and Snacks? Motivating Learning Through Positive Reinforcement

Your dog understands who is the reference person in his “pack” above all through clear commands and a perception of reliability. Excessive rigor or repressive education are not only unnecessary but on the contrary would end up scaring your sensitive four-legged friend. After all, no one wants the dog to obey his commands out of fear, but rather to respect the rules of the game with joy. So how can you encourage the pleasure of learning in the puppy?

Praise and rewards play an important role in motivating young dogs. In this sense, dogs are not much different from most people: they choose the path that promises them the greatest benefit. Reprimands and punishments demotivate: they have the effect of distracting the puppy from the desired path, ending up hindering the success of the educational process.

In order for your dog to learn the right behaviors that will earn him the praise he desires from you, he should receive a reward right away. Dogs live in the present and always relate their owner’s reaction to the current situation. They can only understand that they have made a mistake if you intervene immediately, reporting the error as it happens.

If your puppy, who is not yet well trained, does his “business” on the sofa and you only notice it in the evening, when you want to go to sleep, scolding him at that point is useless. Instead, praise him if he manages to “hold out” until you let him out. Reward your young furry friend with apuppy snacks (don’t overdo it, please!), or with affectionate words, tender caresses, gestures that express praise or even with his favorite toy. Even small freedoms, such as letting him go for a few meters without a leash, allowing him to romp with other dogs or play ball together, are experienced by the dog as desirable goals and can therefore act as a reward.

At what age should you start training puppies?

In principle, choosing the right time is crucial for successful training. Your puppy must be ready for an educational measure on your part or a short training session to promote obedience to be effective and positive. If he is “running wild” in the garden, if he is intensively exploring a new game or if he is simply tired or hungry, it is not a good time to start training. When they are very young, dogs are eager to learn, but they usually do not like to dwell on the same activity for too long.

Exercises that require the dog to concentrate for a certain period of time are certainly not suitable for puppies who have just started training. It is better to integrate puppy training into everyday life and get the dog used to certain rules and rituals as soon as possible. Try to train your dog in everyday life: make sure he waits calmly when you pour hisfood in the bowl, never give in to his pleas, praise him if he remains calm when the bell rings and give him a small treat if he has managed to wait in front of the bathroom door without whining.

What exercises should I do with my puppy?

It is not so easy to know for sure what are the things that a puppy should learn, and therefore which everyday gestures you should reward and which behaviors you can turn a blind eye to. On the other hand, the advice of friends, experts and trainers on the Internet is so much that in a moment a novice owner can rightly feel overwhelmed.

That’s why it’s important to understand and internalize well beforehand what are the fundamental rules that you would like to teach your new companion to quickly make them a daily routine. At the beginning, all of this certainly represents a challenge, but it will make your daily life with your dog much easier in the future. Maybe it can help you to write down a sort of diary of your puppy’s basic training, to understand which methods work and which have proven to be failures.er.

Overview of the main basic rules for training your puppy

Training puppies is not limited to learning basic commands. Puppies who are separated from their mothers to move to their new owner between the tenth and twelfth week of life must first get used to an environment that is unfamiliar to them. They need to build trust with their new caregivers, understand the house rules (also new), and learn to relate to strangers and other animals.

We recommend that you spend the first few days in close contact with the puppy and surround him with lots of love, instilling a sense of security and giving him your time. Often address your dog by his name, so that he can learn it quickly, cuddle him, play with him and give him some snacks that he can eat from your hand: in this way you create the necessary trust between you and ensure that the puppy feels comfortable with you. This is the fundamental basis from which to start, to then reach together the other objectives that are part of the puppy education path.

Hygiene at home

In these first days at home with your new friend, you can already lay the foundations for proper hygiene management – ​​certainly one of the most important requirements for a relaxed coexistence with your four-legged friend. Go out with your puppy every 2-3 hours and praise him every time he manages to do his business on the side of the road or in a meadow. It is a good idea to introduce a routine with fixed times for walks as soon as possible, for example immediately after waking up, before or after midday and before going to bed.

It is important to keep an eye on your puppy: if he starts sniffing nervously around the apartment, it could be a sign that he needs to go outside. Don’t blame yourself if something goes wrong at first and your dog pees on the carpet: if you manage to catch him in the act, a sharp “No!” is enough to let your dog know that you are not happy with him.training a puppy does not give results overnight and requires a lot of patience on your part.

Show limits when barking, biting or scratching

Puppies love to explore the world using their mouths. They do not yet know that furniture is precious and should not be chewed, nor are they able to understand that people are more sensitive tobiting their littermates. That’s why it’s important to show your puppy his limits in a timely and consistent manner. By scolding him when his behavior isn’t appropriate and praising him generously when he does what you want, your puppy learns how far he can go and what behavior leads to the reward he wants.

The best way to solve the problem of a puppy that growls, barks or begs for something at the table is to ignore him when he does it. In fact, when the dog engages in this type of behavior, he is first of all seeking your attention, whether it is to take care of him, to play with him or to give him something to eat. By denying him attention, you will quickly make him understand that this behavior does not lead him to the goal, so he will stop.

Get him used to the leash

Also educate toleash is part of the basics of puppy training. adult dogs that pull on a leash can become a real problem: after all, an adult dog is not always as easy to handle as a puppy weighing a few pounds. Knowing how to proceed with a “soft” leash should therefore be a must from the beginning. Even if it can be cute to watch your little four-legged friend curiously explore the world on his clumsy little legs, and even if at this stage you might like to chase him… we advise you not to do so!

Show him from the beginning that you are the one holding the leash and not the other way around. It is not your dog who sets the direction, but you. In order for him to learn to pay due attention to you when you go out together and to adapt to your pace and your changes of direction, it is important that you make sure that, from your first outings together, the leash is always loose. As soon as your bold puppy starts to pull on the leash, stop. Do not continue your walk until he comes back to you and the leash is loose again.

As an exercise forTo teach your puppy to walk on a leash , you can leave a reward or his treat on a large lawn, at a certain distance.favorite dog toy . Your puppy will most likely want to run quickly toward the object or treat that awaits him. The thing to do at this point, if he pulls, is to hold him back or even move even further away from the desired object. Only when he can move calmly at your pace, can you approach his reward. In this way, the puppy learns that in order to get what he wants, he must learn to self-regulate.

You come!

A key part of puppy training is teaching your puppy to respond to the “Come!” command. You will save yourself a lot of stress and tension if you teach your puppy to come to you when you call him, to wait until you allow him to go ahead, and to stay alone when you need to leave the house without him. There are many different methods that can help you achieve these important goals. It is up to you to experiment and find the one that works best for your dog.

In all cases, it is essential to reward him every time he shows the desired behavior. The best way to introduce the recall signal (for example, “Come!”, “Come here!” or even a whistle, with your mouth or a whistle) is when you notice that your puppy is already running toward you. In practice, at the beginning it is a matter of calling him or whistling every time he is running toward you and rewarding him with his favorite snack. In this way, your dog will learn that it is worth coming to you as soon as you call him.

Training your dog: teaching him to wait

Much the same goes for the concept of waiting. Your dog must learn that he cannot jump out of the car as soon as the trunk opens, that he cannot rush outside as soon as the front door opens, and that he cannot pounce on his food every time the door to the cupboard where his kibble is stored opens. It is important that you do not reinforce this behavior by giving in to his demands.

Close the car door or the front door as soon as you see that your puppy is trying to go out, and only reopen the door when he shows that he can wait patiently. Repeat the same exercise if your furry friend does not stop or is not able to sit even with the door wide open: only then can you reward him and finally allow him to go out. You can do the same with food: fill the bowl only when your puppy shows that he is calm and waiting patiently.

Give him thebowl with his food only when he has stopped jumping or barking. If you see that your dog immediately begins to eat from the bowl without your permission, take it away. Teach your dog that he can eat only when he shows that he can calmly wait for your nod.

Staying alone at home

Starting from the twelfth/eighteenth week of your puppy’s life, you can gradually accustom him tostay home alone . It goes without saying that you shouldn’t leave an adult dog alone for too long, but it is undeniable that there are situations or appointments in everyday life that are not compatible with the dog. This is why it is useful for your puppy to learn as soon as possible that he cannot come with you everywhere and that sometimes he must be alone. This type of training is more effective if it is integrated into everyday life in an unstructured way and if you do not give too much importance to the fact of being alone.

For example, at first you can leave the room where you are with your puppy for a few minutes without saying goodbye. Then come back and pretend that nothing happened. You can gradually increase the time interval until your dog has learned to be alone for a long time. You can leave the house only if you are sure that your puppy will remain calm and not “make a drama” in your absence.

If you notice that your dog is very affectionate and immediately starts barking or whining as soon as you leave the room, you can vary the exercise by returning to the room only when your dog has calmed down. If you don’t want to leave your dog alone because you see that he is agitated, you can at least ignore him when you return to the room and give him a small treat only when he has calmed down.

 

 The healing rituals

Raising a dog in a species-appropriate manner means not only taking care of its diet, the fact that it needs exercise and training, but also periodically offering it appropriate grooming rituals. Your dog’s fur must be brushed regularly, paws, ears and teeth must be cleaned and checked and nails must be kept short. From the very beginning, therefore, we recommend that you accustom your animal friend to remaining calm while you carry out these grooming rituals.

Also to simplify future visits to the vet, it is better if you directly accustom the puppy to letting you touch his ears, paws and belly. For example, when you cuddle your puppy in the evening on the sofa, scratch his belly, touch his ears, hold his paw for a few minutes, massage him or open his mouth with your hand. You will notice that over time your dog will become more and more relaxed and will start to enjoy these “cares” from you.

The sleep

Of all the exercises you do with your puppy during the day, the most important aspect is often forgotten: sleep. Give your dog enough rest so that he can process the many new impressions he receives every day from the world around him. Let him sleep when, after a nice walk, he retreats to hiskennel , and don’t overwhelm him with training sessions that are too frequent or too long. A puppy shouldn’t be kept busy 24/7: after all, you can’t do that with an adult dog either. Let him play alone and allow him to go on some “world discovery trips” on his own: even the most tireless of four-legged earthquakes gets tired sooner or later.