Finding the Right Trainer for Your Dog or Puppy

Getting the right trainer for your dog or puppy is critical in training your pet the way that you, as the owner, feel comfortable. A trainer is just like a teacher or a coach for children, if you dont feel comfortable with how they are handling your pet you will not likely continue the training method at home which will lead to confusion and non-compliance with your dog. A good trainer or professional will always be willing to share their views on dog training as well as explain their methods and philosophy for training.

Points To Consider

Before deciding on the professional trainer to work with both yourself and you dog do a bit of research. The following questions are important to consider to be certain that the trainer that you choose will be the correct match.

1. What type of training does the kennel or trainer offer?

There are different types of trainers and various training methods. If you want a hunting dog or scent dog then the trainer should have experience in this type of specialization. Guard dogs or dogs for home protection require additional training over basic obedience and should only be trained by someone experienced with guard dog. Obedience training is different than event training and be sure the trainer has some experience in the area you are interested in.

2. What qualifications does the trainer have?

Trainers may be certified or recognized by a training association in your area or location, or they may simply have been working for a long period of time in the area and we well known by breeders and event competitors. Never be afraid to ask what qualifications or experience the trainer has.

3. What references are available?

Does the trainer have a list of references that he or she is willing to provide regarding the services they have provided. If the trainer has a certification ask what agencies granted it and do a bit of research. References should be local people or breeders and they should be open to talking about their experiences and results of using the particular trainer.

4. How should I find a trainer?

There are many different ways to locate a trainer. One of the best ways to locate a trainer in your area is to simply ask your veterinarian which professional trainer they recommend. Another option is to talk to other dog owners, especially ones with well-behaved dogs, and find out what trainers or training methods that they have used.

Attending dog shows and other events may also be helpful. Watch for handlers and owners that respond to their dogs the same way that you would like to have your dog treated and ask who has assisted with the training.

Dog owners tend to be very good references and are always happy to discuss a positive experience with a trainer. Equally most dog owners will also indicate that they had an unpleasant experience if that is the case. Remember that each trainer has their own unique style and personality so attending one or two classes and watching how the trainer responds to both the people and the dogs is a great way to get an insight into the philosophy of the training methods.

Kelly Marshall is a popular contributor at http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com - where you can find dog beds, dog steps, pet ramps, and more unique dog gear that you'll never find at your local pet store.

Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack (Book review)

In an economy that takes pride in being led by large companies and strategic consulting prescribed by academia, like the Harvard Business School, 10% of the small businesses fail every year and 60% close after six years.

According to author Donna Fenn, there are seven reasons for this, from the backlash of big business to consumer lust for luxuries. In " Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack" the author consults with eight small businesses situated in different regions of the USA that have used certain strategies to outshine their competition and thrive, and she passes those strategies on to her readers. These eight businesses have flourished despite their sometime stories of failure and they have learned to get ahead in the highly competitive business world.

In the book, Fenn has focused on these eight businesses: Zane's cycles, a bicycle shop; Dorothy Lane Market Inc., three grocery stores; Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers; Amy's Ice Creams, 12 ice cream parlors; THOR.LO Inc., manufacturer of sport-specific socks; Dancing Deer Baking Company (Boston); PR Consultants Group Inc., an alliance of 34 public relations firms; and Mike's Famous Harley-Davidson Inc.

The majority of the tips from these leading entrepreneurs deal with employee training, creating a workplace that appeals to the workers, getting new customers while retaining existing ones, being bold and fearless, giving good service, forming alliances, adapting to the new technologies of the times, continually re-inventing, tweaking innovations and keeping them close to home while upgrading wisely.

In the book, there is a section for each company that ends with ten tips from its entrepreneurs. At the last chapter, the author summarizes the very valuable marketing lessons from the entrepreneurs, which she names as the alpha dog DNA.

Fenn's writing style is direct, clear, conversational, and sprinkled with quotes by the entrepreneurs: "'When you are comfortable, you're never performing at 100% says Dave Barr. It might be Schwartz's mantra. Mike's Roadside Rest had earned him press accolades"

The author, Donna Fenn, has been writing as a contributing editor about entrepreneurs and small business trends in Inc. Magazine for more than 20 years. In 2001 she was a co-recipient of the Women's Economic Round Table Entrepreneurship Prize, sponsored by the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Monthly, Working Woman, and many other publications.

"Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack" is in hardcover with 224 pages and ISBN: 0060758678. After the foreword and introduction, it has ten chapters followed by acknowledgements, sources, and an index.

If you already know how to succeed in business or own an MBA, but especially if you don't, "Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack" should be the book to pick because of its valuable tips worth several years of serious study. The information inside this book can give a serious boost to any enterprise.

This article has been submitted by Joy Cagil in affiliation with http://www.Facsimile.Com/ which is a site for Fax Machines.

How to Make Money Online with Google AdWords?

We all heard about making money online. The question is how do you rely start making money online today. I am going to share with you on how you can start making money online without having a website, not knowing anything about web design, and not spending much money. That is right you do not have to have any knowledge of HTML code. All you have to know is how to type. There are hundreds of courses on the internet charging you hundreds of dollar for the information I am about to share with you. Do not spend any money on any online marketing tools until you read this.

The one way to take advantage of Google AdWords is to become affiliate. Affiliate marketing is where someone advertises for another website and in return that person receives commission for each sale their advertising brigs to that website. Heres an example: Lets say I want to sell Laptop Computers, but I dont have a website and/or I dont have any computers to sell. Well instead of starting a company, I can just find a company online which already sells computers and offers an affiliate program. Now that I have searched and found a company, I look at what they offer. Lets say they are giving 10% commission on every sale I make. I decide to use that company and I set up my affiliate account with them and they give me a special URL (a web address that will let the company know that it was my advertising which gave them the sale), which I use in my advertisements. Now I make ad advertisement, and display it on Google. Whenever someone sees and clicks on my advertisement it will go to the companys webpage. Lets say that one hundred people clicked on my text advertisement and one of them buys a computer that cost $1,200. Because that person who bought the computer clicked on my advertisement that company will give me 10% of $1,200 which means that I made $120.00

Most online companies offer affiliate program. Companies like Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Max, Amazon.com, Buy.com and many more, literally tens of thousands. There are also companies online which all they do is offer other online business a way to have an affiliate program. These affiliate Companies manage affiliate programs for thousands of online companies. This means that if you have an account with Affiliate Company (they are completely free), you can advertise for any of the thousands of companies that use them to manage their affiliate sales. If you want to, you can search Google for affiliate programs just to see how big online marketing currently is.

By using AdWords and high paying affiliate program you can start earning money today. The AdWords advertisements are Pay Per Click (PPC), which means that the owner of that advertisement pays Google every time someone clicks on their advertisement. The main reason for wanting to pay for traffic is because it is very very difficult to receive free traffic on Google. When you sign up for Google AdWords Pay Per Click advertising your advertisement will be displayed almost immediately in Googles search results (usually within 5 minutes). You can also decide which page you want your advertisements to be displayed on ( the first page receives more visitors than the other pages).

It is very simple to start Google AdWords account. Go to www.google.com and look toward the bottom of the page. You will see a link says Advertising Programs. Once you there, you should click on the link which says Google AdWords. After clicking Click to Begin, you will be taken to a couple of pages which will ask you how you want to set up your advertising group(s) with Google. Google will send you an email to the email address you specified which will contain a URL that you will need to go to in order to activate your account. After you go to that URL you can log into Google AdWords using your email address as your user name. Now that you have an account set up, you are ready to learn how to create a Campaign so you can begin making money online.

Here is how to create a AdWords campaign in Google. First off to create a new keyword campaign, click the link Keyword-Targeted campaign. You will be prompted to name your campaign. Your campaign name is what will be displayed on the first screen when you log into your Google AdWords account. Since you will most likely have several campaigns, when you name your campaign you will want to make sure it is unique name that will let you know exactly what you are advertising in that campaign. Next you will need to name your AdGroup. Remember, you will have several different AdGroups with one Campaign, so name it something that will help you know exactly what keywords are in that AdGroup. Next, you should choose the area(s) where you want your ads to appear. There are three different ways to choose where you want to advertise. You can choose to advertise by Countries and Territories, Regions and Cities, or Customized.

The most important thing you need in order to have a successful Google campaign is a text ad with a high CTR. Text Ads with a high CTR will increase your Quality Score which will increase your overall position.

Things You Should Know:

1. You are not required to have http: or www in your display URL.

2. Google will not let you capitalize all the letters in all your words, but they will let you capitalize most of your words.

3. The website must not require additional software to load (example: it cannot be a .pdf instead of .htm).

4. Back button must be able to go back to Google with one click.

5. You cant have websites that mirror other websites that are advertised for the same keyword (example: having the same pictures and text but using a different web address). I know many affiliates do this, but I dont know how much Google enforces this rule.

6. The website you are advertising cannot have a pop up or pup under ad.

Another key to having a successful online business is making sure that every single person who is even the slightest bit interested in your product sees your advertisement. The best way to do this is by creating a very huge keyword list (thousands of keywords). Some products have many keywords, while others have very few. Usually the more keywords there are available for the product, the better. Not because it is searched more often, but also because most people who are also selling the same product will only select a few general keywords which may be very broad keywords.

When you bid on Google, you will not always pay the price you enter. The price you enter is the MCPC (Maximum Cost Per Click) you are willing to pay for that keyword. Google constantly updating the bids for the keywords in their search engine. For example if your MCPC is $0.15 and the advertiser in front of you is bidding $0.16 and the Ad one position behind you is bidding $0.05, you will only pay $0.06 per click, because there is no reason why you should have to pay $0.15 per click if you can get the same Ad position for $0.06 per click.

Google is a most searched search engine on the internet and with that they are consistently making update and improvement. If you are really serious about making money online or promotion you current business I will make a recommendation that will make you an absolute pro on AdWords. Ive spend thousands trying to research best possible ways to market in the internet. With all the money Ive spend I could of just gotten one system Google MoneyPro by Steven Holdaway. You absolutely cannot ignore what he has to share with you. He personally makes over $120,000 per MONTH. Check out his website. http://googlemoneypro.bestofbusinessonline.com

Dennis Alexander Internet Entrepreneur

Grooming Your Shih-Tzu

"It's HARD to be so beautiful...."

I am not going to attempt to put together a grooming page on how to SHAVE your shih-tzu, as much as it is requested.

After giving it careful thought,

I believe this should be left to the pros.

I know you THINK you will save a bundle, but you won't.

First you need a proper grooming table.

You need proper shears (nothing under $100.), proper scissors and proper blades and a LOT of practice.

You will need a good vet on standby to suture your dog

when you fillet it or cut it with the clippers, particularly around the eyes and under arms.

The razor burns you will cause until you do your first

25 cuts will be painfully excruciating to the poor dog.

I think you should bush your dog every day,

should wash your dog once a week,

and go to a groomer every 3 months.

Nails should be cut as needed.

Recent finding state dogs may live as long as 20 years

with proper diet and having it's teeth cleaned regularly.

To do daily care:

Tools you will need;

* Pin brush-around $15-$25 get a good one with No balls on the tips. Balls on the tips break the hair.
* Metal comb, fine and medium
* Rat tail comb~for making the part down the back and making the top knot
* Slicker brush curved~for brushing undercoat
* Finishing spray or spray conditioner

Lay doggie down on her side, get her used to this at a young age. Lightly spray coat and start brushing with long smooth strokes, start on underside and work up her side to her back in layers. Each layer is gently brushed and little knots are worked out with your fingers. Don't rip through knots or pup will never trust you to brush her like this. After you have gone up her entire side, turn her over and brush the other side same way. Now turn her on her back and brush her tummy, careful attention to armpits where snarls form. I clip mine here to avoid problems later. Next make her stand, and go through her entire coat with the metal combs making sure you did not miss any spots, use medium comb first, then fine metal comb. Next make top knot: Part hair with plastic rat tail comb from eye corner back across ears and then across head to other side. I tie this up with a soft tiny band for everyday. Don't make it too tight or it will make the eyes "bug" out and bother the dog. Ba!

nd it about 1 inch from scalp and then take a few hairs in the middle and holding these, push the top knot down to the scalp. This makes the top knot poof in the front. Next comb face "furnishings" these are the mustache and the beard~use the plastic comb for this, never brush this area or you may injure the eyes. Lastly, take rat tail comb and part the hair down the middle of the back to the tail. You can also use a knitting needle for this. Finish the dog with a light spray again all over avoid eyes, and gently brush the coat down with the pin brush. Poofy feets can be fluffed up with he slicker brush. Sometimes I also use the slicker brush on the undercoat when I am brushing the layers but don't brush too hard or you will scratch your baby. A small reward ends the grooming session. Either a kiss and praise and a small tidbit for being good.

Shampoo your shih tzu once a week if you can. Clean dogs do not matt as fast. Brush her/ groom everyday!!!!!! If she is in long coat you may have to do this 2 times a day. Puppy coats start to "blow" around 6-8 months old, and they get their big doggie fur. Then you have to brush, brush, brush, or you will have a matted dog. The blowing of the puppy coat lasts about 6 weeks...then it gets better. Most people get their shih tzu clipped around this time 7-8 months old because of this.

Good shampoos for shih tzu: My favorite is Pet Silk moisturizing shampoo and conditioner...recently I tried this following shampoo and it was nice for a change. But I still like Pet Silk the best. You can buy it at http://Cherrybrook.com just type in Pet Silk in the search and it will come up.

~Shampoo Tip for Minimizing Mats~

from the Momma of Sugar Bear and Huny B Bear

Does your furbaby tend to get mats easily? This isa great shampoo.

I use it on Sugar Bear and also on Huny who each have different texture coats and it works

equally as well on both dogs. This is a people shampoo and it is a bit expensive, but you don't

have to buy a conditioner so it evens out. The shampoo is called Physique~Shampoo + Conditioner.

It comes in a silver cylinder bottle, you can buy it at stores like KMart or big discount stores.

Wash your shih tzu with this shampoo and do not apply conditioner as it is already in the shampoo.

Gently work in in and let the silky foam work into the hair. Rinse well. I use this shampoo/conditioner

all the time and it tends to build up in the hair. It is a good idea to use a vinegar/water rinse (1/2 cup white vinegar to a quart of water) every third bath and work this into the hair to clean out the build up on the hair shaft. Work this rinse through the hair, rinse well, then shampoo. You will notice that the blow dry is easier and the upkeep on the hair is much easier with less matting and snarls.

Compliments of Lynne The BOW Lady

SHOW BOWS AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FOR SALE By special order on her site

http://www.doggiebowties.com

Karen DeAngelo has been a shih-tzu breeder since 1986 and has won 2006 and 2007 for Best Shih-Tzu pictures on the www from http://DogLovers.com