It’s 4th of July weekend and many cities and municipalities are having their fireworks displays.  The weekend will be filled with picnics and parties too.  All that excitement adds up to a lot of fun – but it also represents a lot of potential dangers for your dog.

The most common dog owner complaint during the 4th of July weekend is their dog’s reaction to fireworks. With a dog’s sensitive ears and eyes it’s no wonder that your dog gets anxious and fearful during the Fourth of July weekend. Even it you have addressed loud noises during your gun dog training This Holiday can be troublesome to your dog. The combination of loud noises and bright lights can scare dogs that don’t normally have a history of noise phobias and some of the issues can be caused by your actions.

Some dogs will exhibit signs of fear that can include pacing, panting, trembling, salivating, trying to escape and/or barking. If you notice this in your dog here are some things that you should do or not do during this Holiday:

 -    Don’t take your dog to the fireworks. Make sure he or she is calm at home. Or stay home with your dog during the fireworks.  Keep your dog confined in a comfortable location if possible.

-    Don’t try too hard to reassure your dog during a fearful event with petting, soothing words, or extra attention as this can sometimes exacerbate the problem by reinforcing your dog’s fearful response.

-    Some dogs are very sensitive to peoples’ moods, so they may be influenced by the way that you react to the noise. It is best to act happy and upbeat or to redirect your dog’s attention to some absorbing activity.

-    If you must leave your dog alone, consider what would make your dog most comfortable. Bring your dog indoors.  Would your dog feel safest in a crate? Turn on the radio/television/fan/air conditioner as (“white noise”). Make sure you provide a comfortable hiding place or “safe place” in case your dog is scared during the fireworks.
                                                  These tips were provided by Dr. Jon, from Pet Palace.

 So before the fireworks, try to anticipate your dog’s exposure to noises and avoid such exposure, if possible. Talk to your pet in a light, cheerful tone that sends a message that the storm is no big deal. Encourage your dog to find a quiet restful place to wait out the noise. Remember your dog will key off of your actions so don’t make a big deal out of the situation. Even though your dog will become anxious, talk calmly, act normal and everything should be OK.

Electronic collars are among the most popular types of no bark collars on the market today; the others are spray and ultrasonic collars. The last two collars release a chemical spray and a high-pitched sound, respectively. The sound emitted is beyond a person’s hearing range, but well within a dog’s. The no bark types trigger when your dog lets of a loud bark. To discriminate between a bark and any other loud sound in the environment, high quality collars are activated by both the bark and vibrations from the dog’s throat.

Most trainers prefer the electronic no bark collar, for good reason. The mild sensation is just enough to interrupt the dog’s barking, but not enough to harm him. When purchasing an electronic training dog collar one needs to take the dog and the environment that you will be using it into consideration.  If you have a big playful dog it needs to be sturdy and if used outdoors it should be waterproof as well. 

Another plus is that electronic collars allow you to adjust the stimulation level just in case your dog adapts to the stimulus and barks despite it. If you want to enjoy a lot of quiet time at home once again try a no bark electronic collar it does the work for you.

   Surveys have shown that the electronic training dog collar has resulted in the lives of many dogs being saved, as well as there has a reduction in stress and frustration for owners and dog trainers of dogs with behavior problems. The electronic training dog collar has also prevented many problematic dogs that others have found un-trainable from being put to sleep. Many dogs that have been said to be un-trainable had behavior issues corrected with an electronic training dog collar.

One of the main factors to take into consideration when training your dog is this: Your dog has limited ability for logical reasoning, making immediate actions or correction necessary for your dog to associate your discipline with his bad behavior. Late punishment will often make the dog confused, reluctant to obey and ultimately harder to train. The electronic training dog collar aids in eliminating this problem, and has proven to be effective in providing immediate correction.

When the electronic training dog collar is used properly, it will eventually raise the dog trainer to the level of “pack leader”, and will enable the trainer to become physical with the dog less and less. The message the electronic dog training collar sends hits home for the dog very quickly and since it is possible to use low levels of stimulation, it will not cause pain nor will it damage the dog’s spirit. Most electronic training dog collars do not shock, but provides a tingle getting your dog’s attention which allows him to associate his behavior with the low level stimulus.

Be consistent, patient, give praise and reward when earned and results will come.

   An electronic training dog collar, especially with a remote, is a great training tool which can assist in correcting numerous behavior issues in your dog; such as constant barking, jumping up on strangers, coming whenever you call, chasing cars and not running away.  The key is to correct only one behavior issue at a time. If you try to correct more than one issue at a time your dog will get confused and training will take much longer.  Dogs learn by association and the key benefit in using electronic training dog collars are that you can transmit a stimulus each time your dog does something that you are trying to correct. The sensation is a mild stimulus or you can even use a vibration and he won’t even know that you are doing it. If you are consistent in your training effort time your dog will associate the vibration to the action you are trying to correct

Many models of training dog collars have the ability to transmit different sensations to the collar and unlike what many people may imagine, these electronic dog collars are perfectly effective and safe for your pet.

Stay consistent while you are teaching your dog. The stimulus or tone that you will be transmitting to the electronic training dog collar needs to be given each time your pet engages in the behavior that you would like to change. This will be the best way that your dog can make the actual association and thus affect the behavior you are trying to correct.  Remember by using an electronic collar you don’t need to yell or get agitated.  Give plenty of praise and rewards and your training will be fun and rewarding.

One of the first things you’ll find out about waterfowl hunting is that it’s not as easy as you think. There are a few key factors that can affect your hunt as outlined here:

Location – This is obviously key, if the waterfowl you are looking for aren’t at your closest site don’t waste your time. They are not going to magically appear because you show up with a shot gun in your arms.   This is an easy fix and is part of the fun of hunting, find and explore an area that the game you are looking for habitats.  Test out a predator call or various hunting game calls to determine what works best for you.  In this way when you go out on the hunt you already know where to go and how to proceed.

Decoys – This is part of your pre hunt research too. Use at least three different types of decoys, but the majority should be of the type your actually hunting for and for best results try using at least one motorized decoy in your spread.

Decoy Spreads – Again research is the answer.  Use a decoy spread that is natural, one that you observed when scouting out your site. A tried and true spread is the U shape decoy which leaves room for incoming fowl to land in the middle of your spread. This gives the ducks a sense of security and will bring them into shooting range.  With the use of a predator call you should be able to entice your game to enter your decoy spread.  Continue to check the outer edges of your spread because you don’t want them to get out of shotgun range.

Keep Under Cover – Continue to use your hunting game call as naturally as possible and keep under cover with as little movement as possible.  Keep yourself camouflaged and out of sight at all times.  If you don’t have a blind make sure your silhouette is obscured by a tree, brush or some natural element.

Hunting waterfowl is a constant learning experience.  Keep at it and enjoy nature at its finest.

The main benefit of using a training dog collar is that the moment a problem behavior manifests itself you can “correct” it. Correction can be done at a distance – no need to yell out from where you are, or rush down to move close to your dog.  Correction can be given via a static sensation activated by a remote transmitter in your hand. So the instant you see your dog about to chew one shoe or take aim before a plunge into your garden’s bushes, you can send a stimulus bringing him to a halt.

The first thing you need to do is to satisfy yourself that the electronic collar fits comfortably around your dog’s neck and that it doesn’t slip around. Ascertain that the nodes on the electronic collar makes contact with your dog’s skin, in this way the stimulus is always consistent.  Initially calibrate the settings on the electronic collar to the lowest setting and increase the setting as needed. Remember all you want to do is get your dog’s attention when he misbehaves, over time your dog will inevitably link his bad behavior, which is followed by an annoying static correction, to his actions and will soon modify his actions

Another type of electronic collar is a “no bark” collar which automatically activates a stimulus every time your dog barks.  Again fit is important and the setting should be initially set to the lowest level.  This electronic collar only corrects excessive barking.

The time you spend with your dog getting him use to his electronic collar is going to pay off, just be persistent and consistent in your correction and positive results will come and by using an electronic training dog collar the results will last longer and any retraining will be much quicker than not using one..

Hunting turkey requires preparation, knowledge of your game and persistence.  Turkeys are cunning and elusive so the use of hunting game calls and decoys are a great advantage.  Here are a few tips to get you started on the right track:

Know where and when to use decoys. They work bests when placed close to clearings and in areas that offer cover, not in an open field or in an overly obstructed path. To entice the curiosity of your prey, choose places that provide ample cover or closed off areas.

The next question is how many decoys and the type of decoys you should you use?  The rule of thumb is the more dense the woods, the more decoys you should use. Remember all you want to do is to get a turkey’s attention and draw him within shotgun range.  When choosing decoys stick to the ones that have a realistic look and feel to them, like the ones that have feathers that sway and move naturally.  Motion decoys definitely work better than still decoys. However, refrain from using ones that move too much because they may scare the turkeys away instead of attracting them.

Decoy placement is next: you need to ensure that the decoys are placed more than 15 yards but not more than 35 yards away from your prey. You need the birds to see your decoys clearly, but you also have to make sure that they come in close enough for a clean shot.

Do your research and try these tactics, you’ll have more fun and in time will be successful, just keep at it.

 To be successful at hunting your shooting skills have to be intuitive, quick, flexible and accurate, particularly at small game hunting.  Spending a little bit of time sighting in your gun and target shooting just before hunting season just doesn’t do it.  Shooting skeet will give you the shooting skills needed to be a successful hunter.  It’s a sport that you and your family can enjoy and you can do it year round.

Shooting skeet at a range employs the use of shot guns, the main stay for small game hunting.  The problem with shot guns is the range.  Trap machines are designed to test your skill by having a clay thrower project skeet at various distances and trajectories just perfect to enable you to judge the various ranges that your shotgun can handle.

Clay throwers require you to have the skill of quickly aiming and leading your target before firing which greatly increases your chances of success. Leading skeet requires instinctual knowledge of distance and speed typically gained only during practice. Leading must continue through the shot in what hunters typically call follow-through. Hunters must point gun sights just in front of moving targets and match the speed at which targets move. The lead must be smooth and continue straight through the shot.  In shooting skeet this becomes a natural instinct with practice

Shooting skeet will hone in the shooting skills needed to bring down that game whether it be small game, birds or big game.  The trap machines will help with dexterity and get you use to various shooting challenges.  Give it a try.

  Using an electronic training dog collar will quicken the training process, the training will last longer and further correction will be much easier.  Initially it will not happen in an instant. Even after you snug-fit a training dog collar on your dog, its problem behaviors aren’t going away on its own. First, your dog needs to get accustomed to his new collar, which is different from his usual collar. Plus, you, as a responsible dog owner, should find out what you can about how the electronic collar works, this way you’ll get the best out of it.

 Training your dog requires patience and consistency it’s also going to eat up some of your time so prepare for it. Consider how much you love your do, which should be enough to lay out a realistic assessment of how important straightening out your dog’s bad habits is. The time devoted to training your dog will pay off handsomely in building that special bond which is like no other.

 The key benefit behind the use of a remote training dog collar is the instantaneous correction that’s possible from a distance, when your dog misbehaves you can interrupt it. This annoyance is actually the needed interruption that can be pulled off from a distance, so there’s no more need to shout and yell and get angry at your dog the way it’s normally done. Remote training dog collars differ in the way they transmit the stimulus: the normal electronic bark collar activates on your dog’s bark; the remote electronic collar activates when you click on a transmitter. The moment you see your dog just about to do a bad deed or have just finished one, you can immediately transmit correction there and then.

 Getting your dog used to his new electronic collar often follows some routines. These cover checking if the collar fits comfortably around your dog’s neck, and making sure your dog doesn’t want to claw it out. The device on the collar has nodes that must touch the dog’s skin. This facilitates a consistent activation of the collar’s stimulus through your transmitter. Please be sure you begin your dog’s collar’s settings on the lowest setting allowed.

The intent is not to cause pain all you want to do is get your dog’s attention, in time he will associate the low stimulus to the action he is doing and will then modify his behavior. Since this kind of result can only be obtained after some time, it’s important you spend some time with your dog.

    Turkeys are smart. They have keen eyes and sharp eyes. Nature, therefore, has equipped them well with the ability to survive in the wild let alone get out of a hunter’s way, that’s easy for them.  For these reasons, hunting turkey is more challenging than hunting any other bird or animal for most hunters.

You need a lot of skill, practice and patience to catch a turkey. If you are new to the game, the following tips will be of great help to you. Here is what many successful hunters do:

-   Using hunting game calls or a predator call will attract turkeys to your location. Mimicking a turkey is an art and not everybody can do it. You need to practice a lot before you can master this art. To be very effective, you have to use different types of calls. Usually, hunters begin with one type of call. If this does not fetch any result, they try another type of call till they have succeeded in attracting a turkey. To be more effective there are great products on the market which accurately provides a number of turkey calls.

- Location, location as they say, finding a suitable location is the key to a great turkey-hunting experience. A good location is, therefore, of paramount importance. Your chosen location should not only hide you well from the birds, but also enable you to watch all their movements.  Finding an ideal location to grab a gobbler means that you should study the habits of the birds well in advance. The time you spend doing this will be worth your while. A hunter is sure to grab a gobbler if he or she has located a spot that the birds are sure to pass during a particular hour.

-   Take cover, turkeys are very smart at spotting hunters. Therefore, to become a successful turkey hunter, you should learn to camouflage yourself well. Camouflage your entire body; however, take care not to wear a color that matches the head of a turkey.

-   A decoy has helped many a hunter to bring down a turkey. Using a decoy, however, is tricky business. Many hunters have actually accidentally shot a decoy. The new motion decoys have been very successful in enticing turkeys to your location.

Turkey hunting requires more skill than you might imagine. Stories of hunters who have tried turkey hunting for several seasons with no success are common. However, there is a way to achieve success at turkey hunting. Use good hunting tactics; use simple hunting tips, stick with it and you are sure to grab a gobbler or two.