OK, so you’re working your way through the process of puppy potty training.  You think you’ve made some real progress, and then unexpectedly, a relapse seems to occur. A dog owner who undertakes potty training a puppy must understand that there will always be setbacks, and that there are numerous causes for them.

There will be times when your puppy urinates in the house which have nothing to do with forgetting all the “potty training your puppy” rules you worked so hard to teach. When a puppy urinates, instead of breaking training, it may be the pup’s way of acknowledging your dominance.

This type of urination is just a puppy’s way of saying “you are my leader.” Not exactly the response you are looking for as you potty train your puppy, but something to keep in mind before scolding your pup or losing patience in the dog training process.

Submissive urination, as it is sometimes called, is just a dog’s way of acknowledging your authority. If you scold your puppy for it, you’ll just make the problem worse. When the puppy engages in submissive urination, he/she is telling you (in dog language) that he perceives you as a threat. If you become angry and scold, what do you think your adorable puppy’s next reaction will be? That’s right, more pee. Hmmm. As they say,”this ain’t workin.”

If you relax and take time to examine the situation, you will see that submissive urination usually occurs when your puppy is: 1) being greeted, 2) being scolded, or 3) feels threatened for some reason. Frequently, submissive urination is accompanied by submissive posturing such as a tucked tail or by the puppy rolling over and exposing his/her belly.

The puppy is trying to tell you, in the only language it knows, that it doesn’t challenge your authority and that it doesn’t want a confrontation. If you assume an aggressive or overly dominant demeanor (in other words, lose your cool) you can be assured that it will be counter-productive, both to your immediate results and to your long term puppy house training results. Oh, and your floor or carpet will get wetter too, which causes you to lose more cool, which causes your puppy to pee more, which causes you to - well, you get the picture!

Patience, dear human. Patience.

Recent market research shows that pet owners are showing an increasingly keen interest in pet insurance and that trend is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the next five years. Some estimates predict sales of health insurance to be as high as $1.1 billion by the year 2012. This trend is consistent with soaring spending in the overall pet market as a result of pet owners’ willingness to spend more and more money on the health and wellness of their furry little friends. One source estimated that revenues from the sale of pet insurance in 2007 could be as high as $248 million, which, if accurate, represents an increase of about 21% over 2006.

None of this is all that surprising, however. Anyone who has had to pay vet bills recently is painfully aware of the need to have pet insurance to cover their pet’s major health needs. No one wants to be faced with having to decline needed treatment for a pet because the financial burden is too heavy.

For more detailed information on pet insurance, take a look at Fido’s article, 5 Things You Should Know About Pet Health Insurance.

Have you thought about what would happen to your Fido if there were a serious disaster? I didn’t think so. Well, maybe you should give the matter some thought.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has developed a checklist for disaster planning and preparedness for pet owners. You can review the site for yourself here, but listed below are nine tips to get you started:

1. Plan Ahead. In the event of an evacuation, dogs may not be allowed inside human emergency shelters. Determine the best place to leave your pet in case of a disaster. Identify an off-site location as well as a place in your home.

2. Identification and Photographs. Dogs should always wear properly fitting collars, personal identification, rabies, and license tags. Make sure all the information on the tags is current. Keep a current photo of each pet. Make sure any distinguishing markings are visible. You will need proof of ownership to retrieve your pet from a shelter.

3. Disaster Kit. Maintain a Disaster Preparedness Kit for each of your pets.

4. Paperwork and Records. Store important animal documents in a zip-lock or waterproof plastic bag. These should include vaccination and medical records.

5. Vaccinations. Your dogs need to be current on vaccinations. You will be required to show proof of vaccination if you need to board your dog.

6. Transportation. Each animal should have their own pet carrier. Familiarize your pet with the carrier or cage before an emergency.

8. Leashes and Collars. Keep a leash handy for each dog and cat in your home. Consider using a harness.

9. Buddy System. In case you are not home when disaster strikes, ask a trusted neighbor to check on your animals. Exchange veterinary information and file a permission slip with your veterinarian authorizing them to get emergency treatment for your pet if you can’t be located.

Here we go again. Every time my owner takes me to the dog park, my buddies and I like to sniff a little butt, and my human (without fail) shouts that familiar refrain - “Stop It, Fido!”

Did you humans ever stop to wonder why we dogs like to sniff each other’s butts? Here’s the poop, uh, I mean, scoop. Dogs have two glands just on the inside of their rectums and they emit a discharge with a strong, unique scent. We dogs think of it as “perfume” but apparently you humans think otherwise.

Both male and female dogs have these glands, and the unique scent of each dog’s emissions is, well, like those goofy name tags you humans wear at seminars and conventions. Dogs use those scents to identify each other.

So, sniffing butt may seem crude to you humans, but it’s quite natural for us dogs. Think of it as a “doggy handshake.” Fido can’t help it if evolution left you humans out of this effective way of meeting new friends.

Many of you probably watched Oprah’s show on the horrors of puppy mills, and how we can inadvertently support them by purchasing pets from the wrong sources. Folks, believe Fido when he tells you this is a serious problem that pet lovers need to be united in opposing.

If you missed the show, you can go to Oprah’s website for the highlights of the show. Please look it over and make yourself and your friends aware of the problem. Fido thanks you.

We’re hearing more and more about pet these days. It’s increase in popularity lately is due in large part to the advances of veterinary science. The procedures and treatments that Vets can offer now were unheard of just a few years ago. Things like radiation therapy, transplants, and MRIs. However, as you can imagine, these new techniques are not cheap. Veterinary costs have risen over 70% in the past five years, to over $19 billion last year.

Pet health insurance policies are very similar to human health insurance policies. They typically have annual premiums, deductibles, and an assortment of coverages depending on what the owner needs. Most dog health insurance plans also have co-pays and caps that limit how much will be paid out annually.

There are several matters you need to be aware of when considering your alternatives for pet health insurance:

• Some policies don’t cover older pets
• Certain breeds may be excluded from coverage
• Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded
• Most pet health insurers offer a multi-pet discount

Policy costs vary widely, depending on the animal and the different packages that the owner can choose. Some packages are comprehensive, including such things as annual checkups and vaccinations, spaying/neutering, death benefits and even reimbursement for offering a reward for lost pets. Other plans cover only accidents and illness.

Fido wrote an article on pet insurance if you want more information on the subject. It’s posted on Ezine Articles. Click here to read that article.

OK, for you gadget gurus in the audience, here’s a must have for your dog.

Beginning this summer, dog owners will be able to employ sat-nav technology (I think that means “satellite navigation”) to find a missing pet. A high-tech dog collar will be on sale in July, 2008 which is a lockable collar made from anti-cut material to deter those evil dog thieves. The collar sends text messages to the owner’s cell phone if the dog crosses a predetermined boundary. The owner can then log on to a website where the sat-nav technology of the collar can pinpoint the pet’s location. How cool is that?

For the full story, click here to go to the TimesOnline website, to which credit is given for this information.

What will you do if your Fido has an emergency and stops breathing? Are you prepared? Take 5 minutes and watch this video on YouTube. It could save your pet’s life.

Don’t always assume that what is good for you (a human) is good for your dog or puppy (a canine). Sometimes by trying to be good to our pets, even when we are giving them treats we believe to be natural and holistic, we can get our pets into trouble. Here’s a list of common foods which the ASPCA ’s animal poison control center says we should avoid feeding to our dogs:

- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

Hey, we’ve all been tempted to give our dogs a piece of chocolate, haven’t we? After all, it is so good. How could it hurt? And what about the occasional grape or raisin? Just remember from now on, these tasty human treats have proven to be very toxic to certain dogs and other pets. So, love you pet enough to be sure he/she isn’t intentionally or unintentionally exposed to these potentially toxic human foods. They may be natural and even healthy for humans (I’ve read that chocolate is good for you, haven’t you?), but these snacks should play no part in your dog’s diet!

With practice, you can understand the many moods of your puppy. Would you like your puppy training to be easier and more enjoyable? Then realize that your puppy is making an effort to connect with you in more ways than barking or wiggling his tail. Your puppy also tries to communicate with his ears, paws, tail, mouth, and more. Knowing this will make your puppy training and day to day life with your puppy more enjoyable.

Here are a few guidelines to the fundamental body language of your puppy and its meaning:

Dominant - A dominant dog will have its ears directly up or frontward, its mouth just 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’s 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 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.

Knowing your puppy’s body language will help you understand what your puppy is trying to tell you and what frame of mind he is in. This can be very useful in your puppy training and in your day-to-day life with your puppy.

During your training sessions with your puppy, you need to observe his body language in an effort to determine if he is in a submissive, dominant, playful, or fearful state. Obviously, it is not an optimum state for learning if your puppy is trying to dominate you or if he is so fearful that he is unable to pay attention to the lesson you are trying to teach.

If your puppy turns out to be stressed, terrified, troubled, or even hostile, you must 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.