Sunnyhill Shihtzu

The holidays are coming up, Christmas, Hanukah, these are cheerful seasons for us humans but can be dangerous, even deadly for our animals.

Christmas/Hanukah

Christmas trees – secure your tree with a strong rope to the wall and/or ceiling. A heavy dog that leans on the tree or a cat that climbs on it might topple the tree over.

If you have cats that like to climb make sure they stay away from the tree. Spray part of your tree slightly with Grannick’s Bitter Apple® Spray. Neither cats nor dogs like the taste of it.

Ingested pine needles – can puncture your pet’s intestines. Clean and vacuum daily or twice daily around your tree and your wreath.

Continue Reading“Make It Happy Holidays – Also For Your Dog!”

When it comes to training our canine companions, we all aspire to mold well-adjusted and well-behaved dogs. But let’s face it, nobody’s perfect and that includes most of the dogs in our lives. Here are four tips on how to avoid bad canine behavior and how you can train your dog to behave in a good manner.

1. Your dog has to meet every single person, dog, or squirrel he sees

The world is full of distractions, especially of the human variety. A dog that makes it his business to know everyone will quickly wear you out. Teach your dog that there are a time and place to be social. If you don’t have time for a meeting, keep walking. Reward your dog with treats every time he ignores a distraction. When you do have time, you can reward your pup with a “go say hi” command, treating him when he checks back in with you.

Continue Reading“Bad Canine Behavior that can be avoided”

One dog training method myth I’d like to bust is the idea of stopping puppy play biting by holding your dog’s nose and saying “NO BITE!”

I feel strongly about this topic because it so obviously contradicts what we know about dogs – one of their primary methods of communication is body language. To quote Carina Norris on Beantown Dogs.net, “…dogs use a large proportion of this constant motion for communication, as their emotions and intentions are reflected in their movements and posture.”

Here’s why it’s so ridiculous. The second a person touches strokes, caresses, or even “grab’s violently” as a way to teach their dog a lesson, their dog is most likely expecting some kind of love and attention. Even more worrisome, is that grabbing a dog while is he play biting (more highly stimulated/aroused) the dog is even less likely to understand what a person is trying to tell them. Your dog may be thinking — “I’m revved up and you what to play the Hold My Mouth Game? Great! I love that game, let me at em’?!”

Continue Reading“Puppy Play Biting – Facts and Fiction”

Max von Stephanitz, known as the father of the breed, first formed a group called the SV, or Club for German Shepherds in 1899. This club today remains the largest, most active specialty breed club in the world. Max’s vision of the breed called for a high-performance herding and watchdog with a sharp mind and an elegant appearance.

From this vision, he wrote the original German Shepherd Kanine breed standard. Seven years later, after the first Sieger show was held (also in 1899), the first German Shepherd was believed to have settled in North America and had it’s first showing a year later in 1907.

The German Shepherd first registered with the AKC in 1908 and has rarely ever dropped below the top ten breeds registered. In 1913, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America was founded.

Continue Reading“German Shepherds – History”

Recently I made two cross-country trips with two cats and one dog (small breed). I am certain that my findings can be useful for many pet owners.

Be patient with your furry friends! Strange surroundings, strange noises, strange smells and a change of their daily routine can turn the most peaceful, loving animal into a hissing, barking bundle of nerves. Pay attention to their needs, especially if you travel for some time, take frequent breaks, talk to them, schedule some play time. You can get many great gifts for your pet on this pet gifts website, though this website is not for dog gifts only; there’s also a lot for horse lovers.

• Make sure that you take enough food with you (you might not find the brand your animal is used to, and a certain change in diet can cause diarrhea and/or general unwillingness to eat.
• If your animal is rewarded at home with treats, take them with you.
• Don’t forget your animal’s toys, at least a few of them. Continue Reading“Travel with your Dogs”

German Shepherd Dogs, also called Alsatian Dogs, are some of the most searched-for kinds of dogs. Recognized for their loyalty and intelligence, they’re ideal as companion pets, though additionally, they work as police or farm dogs.

They’re very regardful of their masters, thus a lot of people want to own and train their German Shepherd dogs. This post will teach you about some points to consider on how to train a German shepherd.

The first consideration is to use monosyllables and treadmill-phrased instructions. Dogs, like kids, possess a short attention span, and monosyllables like “sit”, “lower”, “yes”, “no” tend to be simpler to identify that they won’t forget, unlike multiple-word instructions.

Whenever your dog will accomplish an order precisely, ensure that you simply “praise” him by petting him or rewarding him with a tasteful treat. This makes your pet connect the command with the treat and can propel him to consistently follow your instructions.

Continue Reading“Training a German Shepherd puppy”

The appearance of the German Shepherd puppy is definitely exciting. An attractive ball of fluff that’s so lovely it’s not hard to ignore a few of the cheeky habits that begin to happen in your home very rapidly.

So starting your German Shepherd puppy training course is important so you’ll have a properly socialized dog along with a happy home.

My friend Kasia Bialek, says that German Shepherd dogs are extremely intelligent creatures. Due to potency and efficacy and capabilities in behavior training, they’re popular for use by the police, they also make very loyal pets and wonderful young puppies.

It is important when obtaining a new German Shepherd puppy that you should start the training immediately. Young puppies need rules and limitations much like their mother provided immediately after they were born.

Continue Reading“How to raise a German Shepherd Puppy”

Many new dog owners give the dog credit for being more intelligent than he is (even though German Shepherds are very intelligent) when in actuality the dog simply responds to you and his surrounding environment.

Your dog wants to be a part of your “pack” and to be accepted by you, but your dog is an animal with natural animal instincts and behaviors.

When your German Shepherd puppy has negative behaviors, yelling at or scolding him heavily is not the best approach because these behaviors are instinctive. The right approach, instead, is to focus your energy on changing those instincts into the behaviors you expect from your dog.

Knowing the basics of how to train German Shepherds

There are some basics to consider when you start training your puppy. These simple training tips will make the entire process so much easier.

Continue Reading“Basics of how to train a German Shepherd puppy”

If you are thinking of adding a German Shepherd to your family, make sure that this is the right breed for you. German Shepherds are very strong dogs, both in body strength and in spirit.

They require attention, love, and training.  And, they function best within a family unit if you do have some purpose or job for your shepherd.  Just as kids need chores, so will your dog.

Puppies grow fast, and at the awkward stage of a growing puppy, German Shepherds can be very strong, and very awkward, able to knock down the elderly, weak, and young.  Also, puppies love to chew…they could damage your furniture of not lovingly trained.

Continue Reading“Would a German Shepherd puppy fit into your family?”

We constantly have people contacting us looking for tiny Shih Tzu puppies. I literally cringe when a customer is more interested in the adult weight rather than the overall health, temperament, and well-being of a puppy.

Occasionally, we will get a wee one, but I will almost guarantee I will have my work cut out for me to help the puppy survive. I feel every puppy born at Sunnyhill is my responsibility, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly.

When the puppy is tiny, it will most certainly have difficulties during weaning. It just doesn’t have enough meat on its bones to sustain them. Momma doesn’t bring the food wagon around as much because puppies have sharp teeth and it hurts. I have to hand-feed the puppy all day and yes, all night long too.

Continue Reading“Imperials or Chinese Imperials”