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How What I Know About Airedales Has Made a Difference

I’m not going to say I’m an expert on Airedale Terriers. I’m not a breeder. I’m not a trainer. And I’m not a dog show judge. But Airedales have been a part of my family since I was child, so what I know about them is what I’ve learned from living with them.

As an adult, my husband and I have had four Airedales — two of them have passed and we have two now — Amber and Krissy. Each one came to us in a different way - Bernie came from a backyard breeder, Max came from a shelter, Amber came from an AKC breeder and Krissy came from rescue. Yes, they all could be described with the typical Airedale traits - smart, playful and determined. But what made these Airedales so unforgettable is not how they were the same, but how they were different.

Max had the most unusual color — his coat was what is called black and grizzle and though that is not the AKC standard, he was beautiful. His furnishings were very thick and he never grew out of his puppy black ears. Max was also the most happy-go-lucky guy. It didn’t matter what happened in life; he was always able to get up each day and wag his tail. This was one of the most important lessons we learned from him and it was the inspiration for my book, Life to the Max: Maxims for a Great Life by a Dog named Max, which was recently published.

Bernie and Amber had and have the typical Airedale black and tan markings, but Bernie’s furnishings were always thin and scraggly, while Amber’s are beautiful and full. Bernie was sweet, patient and razor sharp. Out of the five Christmas stockings we would hang for the family, including the one for Max, she could pick out hers and she would lay under it all night until Christmas morning when her patience would be rewarded. Bernie was stocky, her tail was docked too short and one of her ears was higher than the other, yet she was graceful, gentle and loving. From Bernie, we learned the meaning of unconditional love and how to be good parents.

In contrast, Amber was our rebellious teenager. She really gave form to the depiction of the Airedale “Terror.” Though perfectly proportioned, she was a clumsy puppy — she ran into walls, she fell off steps and her impulsive exuberance got her into trouble more than once. Like the time when we were all gathered around the pool and Amber spotted my son on the other side. Convinced she could walk on water, she took off running toward him and plunged head first into the pool. Thank goodness, we were there to fish out the surprised little puppy.

Amber has also been the most pig-headed of our Airedales. To this day, she has not mastered “come.” Instead she sits down and looks at us like, “What’s your ulterior motive?” When she was about four, she began to calm down and now that Krissy has joined the fray, her patience is really emerging. (One of Krissy’s tricks is to grab one of Amber’s back legs in her mouth and Amber just stands there until she lets go.) Amber has taught us the value of loving, but firm discipline — something that’s been invaluable now that our son is a teenager.

Krissy is a spunky, very petite one-year-old Airedale — the smallest we’ve ever had. Like Bernie, her furnishings are very sparse and her ears are asymmetrical, but her straight, coarse fur is totally different than any of the Airedales who have owned us previously. She does not have the typical Airedale beard or furry muzzle, so her face and body look more sleek and pointy. At first when I introduced her to friends, I found myself almost apologizing for her looks, “Well, we’re not sure if she’s really an Airedale.” Afterwards, I found myself blanching at the thought that I had become a doggy bigot! Of course, it didn’t really matter - Krissy had already captured my heart with her soulful eyes, her funny, prancing little walk and her big guttural sighs that sound like a cow mooing.

Still with all this dissimilarity among our dogs, it made me wonder: were these dogs really Airedales?

My question led me to do some research on the Web and to discover Joyce Miller, a long-time Airedale enthusiast who runs a website (dearjubilee) that offers advice, articles and links on all things dog and Airedale. She is as full of insight, wisdom and energy as any of the Airedales she once bred. After sending her pictures of my dogs, I asked if these dogs were indeed all Airedales. “No doubt they are Airedales,” she replied, “I have seen these variations in the same litter.”

After long conversations with Joyce talking about genetic anomalies and reading more Airedale history, this is what I now know: just because you’ve had one Airedale, it doesn’t mean they’re all the same. Just like people, they are all individuals and enjoying their diversity instead of expecting exact conformity is a lesson we can apply to life. If we were all the same, imagine how boring that would be! That may be the one thing we’re supposed to learn from Krissy. All I know is that I’ve learned something special from every wonderful animal that has been part of my life. And it’s made all the difference.

Robin Reynolds is an award-winning writer who has more than 25 years of experience writing in a variety of formats. An Airedale Terrier lover since youth, Robin lives in Tempe, AZ with her husband, teenage son, and two Airedales. Visit Nice Creative and Life to Max.

Dog Training: Biting Furniture

A sometimes cute but other times quite infuriating habit that some dogs have it to constantly bite the corners of furniture. Sometimes this is something that helps them such as times when they are only puppies and don’t know any better. He could also be in pain from the changes his teeth are going through. That in a way is excusable but there are other times when he is already at an old enough age where biting the corners of expensive furniture just wont do. You worked hard to be able to purchase them and you don’t need them to go to waste because your pet has a very bad habit of destroying it.

There are a lot of people who try to correct this problem but not by the means in which they are supposed to but by hitting the animal. This isn’t acceptable because for one it puts you at risk or being attacked if he decided to and secondly it is just inhumane to beat an animal for your own mistakes.

What I mean by your own mistakes is that this bad behavior is partly if not mostly your fault. Animals especially dogs follow the pack mentality which simple says that they have a leader of their group and whatever he says goes. When you own a pet you need to be able to provide that kind of leadership otherwise he will take it upon himself to do so. The conflict is essentially caused by this struggle of leadership because he thinks he is the pack leader and you think that he should be doing what you say which in a way is also the pack leader mentality.

So in order for this bad behavior to stop you need to establish yourself in his mind as the pack leader. You already know that you are the pack leader and now it’s time that you convince him of the same. The way to do that is to simply take a walk. This has to be the simplest way to do it but it is also the best way to establish who the leader is and who the follower is. Don’t be fooled by how simple this sounds. It is nowhere near simple and will take a lot of work and a lot of patience.

When you go out to the walk you first need to make sure that he walks beside you and not in front of you. Secondly and certainly important is the act of correction. When he does something that you don’t approve of such as pulling you, you need to stop him and correct him to make sure he knows that he did something that the pack leader didn’t approve of. Doing this consistently is the best way to establish yourself as the leader and make him aware that the next time he decides to bite the furniture of the pack leader there will be severe consequences for him performing that action. You must make sure of that.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and dog couches.

Dog Training: Pooping At Home

There have been many instances where people have told me that they have a problem with their dog going to the bathroom in their homes. This especially becomes bad if you have carpet and he has chosen a spot that he likes which also includes carpet. This is very difficult to clean up and even if you cleaned it the smell is something that goes everywhere. It stays in the carpet and is one of the hardest things to remove. This article is not about how to clean your carpet but more importantly it is about how to prevent this from happening in the very first place.

The bad thing is that most people that are faced with this problem often think that the animal is responsible for it and they haven’t done anything to cause this problem. They would essentially be very wrong. All behavior whether they be good or bad start with you even if you don’t realize you had anything to do with it. This is one of those times when you need to step back and think about what it is that you have been doing that could have caused this. If your pet is constantly pooping on your carpet its time you did something about it.

The best way to establish the pack leader follower mentality is to go out for a walk. Now you might be reading this and wondering what exactly a walk is going to do for you but let’s think about it for a minute and follow an example. When you go out you need to make sure that your pet doesn’t walk in front of you and drag you around. You need to remember that you are walking him and not the other way around. If he has a problem where he likes to pull make sure you hold the leash with two hands and always make sure you make him walk next to you. You also need to practice saying to yourself that you are the leader and he is not and that way even if you don’t notice it you will begin to exude a leader mentality that your pet will respond to.

He can sense things like this and he will start to cooperate more and more if you are persistent and always make sure you think that way. If your pet does something that is not appropriate or is something you don’t approve of such as trying to pull you, you need to make sure that you stop him and correct that behavior because if you don’t it will make him think that it is ok. Remember that a pack leader does not allow things that he doesn’t like. He will correct the problem by letting his pack know that he doesn’t like it.

That is what you also need to do in order to have your pet see you as the leader and not disobey you. By doing this you will notice that the pooping in your home will slowly start especially when it is corrected. Always let him know that you are the pack leader and he is not.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Dog Training: Urinating At Home

If you are a dog owner and you have a problem with your friend urinating in your home, this article is definitely for you. This bad habit can be the worst because just the smell alone can be something so difficult to get out. You might be able to clean up the mess but if you have carpet the smell will be something that will always linger. There are a lot of people that will solve this problem by just buying a well made cleaner to take care of the smell and hope that he out grows this phase but this is the wrong way to go because it is only reinforcing this behavior to him. This is the first and foremost thing that people need to understand about their pets. They are a bread of animals that react to leaders and when a leader see’s a behavior that is unacceptable he corrects it and makes sure they understand this. He also enforces the notion that there are consequences to this behavior should it happen again.

This is where you come in. You need to be the leader that he looks to for guidance. You need to be the leader who corrects him and keeps him in place and in check. He looks to you for that and the problems arise when you cant provide that. The problem I am referring to is your pet taking the role as leader from you because you didn’t embrace it. This simple task is what causes all these problems because your pet thinks that he can do whatever he wants because in his head he is the leader and you don’t think that because in your head you think you are the leader. This conflict causes your pet to misbehave.

The best way to eliminate this problem is to take control of your pet. You need to embrace and resume the active role of pack leader because that is the only way that he will listen to your corrections and obey commands. This will also cause him to take your threat of consequences seriously. There have been many dogs that didn’t seem to take any of these seriously and just went about doing what they wanted to do. The best way to show your pet that you are the leader is to think it yourself. If you were to think that you are the leader and actually believe it yourself, you will unknowingly exude that kind of feeling. Animals and especially dogs can pick up on this feeling.

Another way is to simply take him out for a walk. During this walk you need to make sure that anything that he does is corrected and you need to make sure he knows this. You need to stop him and correct any behavior you don’t like. As you keep doing this it will translate to the home. You will see that he has stopped urinating everywhere because he knows that the pack leader would not allow such thing.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Dog Training — How To Control Biting

It can be a scary thing to have a pet that never seems to be nice to anyone. It has to not only be scary for someone visiting you to be confronted by a vicious dog but also for yourself because you never know at any moment when that same pet that lives with you could turn around and attack you. This isn’t something that you need to leave alone and hope that it is just a phase that will pass as the dog gets older. Instead it’s something that needs to be dealt with as soon as it occurs because you can’t take the risk of him biting someone and then having them pressing charges against you or even worse have your dog put down.

It’s not something pleasant that you would like to imagine let alone have happen to you. Problems like this need to be dealt with head on and immediately. With that in mind this article is about how to train your dog into submission. I don’t want to say that this training will make your dog passive or quiet. It’s more of a training of you and not the dog. What this means is that a dog bases his behavior on what he senses and feels from them and mostly from you. You need to be his leader because that is what they understand the quickest and the best.

It is also what they did when they were in the mentality of the pack. It is their natural instinct to follow a leader which is how a pack is essentially run. You have a leader who makes all the rules and decides who they will attack and when they will eat and pretty much every aspect of the pack.

If your dog is always growling and attacking people then its time you took the position of the pack leader and use that power to make him understand that you lead him and make the rules and not the other way around. In order to accomplish this you need to first believe it yourself. Dogs feed on emotion and they can sense when you feel scared and when you don’t. What you want to do is give off a feeling of confidence and leadership. You need to make yourself believe that that’s what your role is in order for him to feel that from you. That is always step one. The next step is to take a walk and I mean this quite literally. I want you to take your leash and go out for a walk. This walk can be something that may seem like its something easy but quite honestly it will be the toughest thing you will need to accomplish with your dog because it requires constant attention and dedication. If you are not dedicated to this step than you might as well give your dog up because he will finally end up biting someone and it will force you. Next time I want to go into specifics of what you need to do on a walk.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Dog Training — How To Control Growling

Last time we talked about a potentially dangerous situation involving your animal when it comes to other people. It is quite a dangerous and nerve racking situation when you go over to see someone only to be confronted by their vicious dog who has the intent on either biting you or worse. In a way you can’t really blame the animal because it is his instinct to act this way. It’s not something that he is doing wrong but mainly something that you are doing wrong. In order to have a healthy pet and a healthy relationship with your pet you need to play by the rules so to speak. Your dog responds to certain stimulus mainly you acting like his leader but not so much physically as much as emotionally and mentally.

The pack mentality is something that looks quite simple but it is more complicated than it seems. It mainly revolves around one leader who pretty much makes all the rules and tells everyone what they need to do and how they need to do it. He also corrects them when they do something that is not up to his standards. This same principal needs to apply to you when you train your pet and as the last article said the best way to do this is to take a walk.

When you take a walk you need to be vigilant about what your dog does. You need to pay attention to how he acts and you need to correct anything that doesn’t meet your standards. For example, when he pulls you or tries to jump ahead of you, you need to stop him and correct him by raising your voice slightly and telling him no. This is sure to get through to him if you do it enough times. The main thing you need to always do is be consistent because it won’t be as effective if you stop him one day and then don’t the next because you are in a rush or just plainly don’t feel like it. You can’t slack off when doing this because this is what will eventually work and you need to do this in order to save him. That itself should be your motivation.

When you walk always make sure that he is not in front of you. That to him means that he is leading you instead of the way it should be which is you leading him. As soon as this happens you need to correct him. You cannot allow him to feel or even think that he is leading because only pack leaders can lead and you need to make sure that he knows that you are the pack leader and not him. This is crucial when training him on the walk because this is the mentality that he needs to understand in order for him to be submissive. When you have achieved this submissive state you will notice that he doesn’t get out of line anymore but that doesn’t mean that you can relax now. It only means that you have achieved what you wanted and now you just need to maintain it.

This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury dog feeders boutique offering variety of dog beds and personalized dog beds.

Acne Treatment – is Sunbathing a Cure For Acne?

There is no doubt that acne has a huge impact on people’s lives. Not only can it break someone’s self-esteem, it can also be painful. This is why for centuries people have been looking for treatments to make acne go away. People have also tried to erase the scars left after the acne has subsided. These scars can even be permanent.

Acne sufferers would go all the way to try different products just to treat their zits. Some use a lot of homemade remedies. Others go straight to the doctor for consultation. Some opt for the most expensive treatments. Some stick to more affordable ones. But what most people do not know is that the largest source of light on earth can help aid acne, too! And what’s great about this is that, it’s free!

The Sun and Vitamin D3

The sun was believed to aid people with acne problems. In fact, to get rid of zits, some people would go to tanning salons to fade the acne out. The sun actually has Vitamin D3. According to a study, changes in amounts of Vitamin D3 helps heal wounded skin. Vitamin D3 is a great help in protecting the human skin against infection. It also boosts the overall repair mechanism of the body. If one is short of Vitamin D3, her body’s immune system will deteriorate. The inevitable harm in the body’s system due to the deficiency of Vitamin D3 can be dangerous. That is why it is very important to go out and get sun exposure every once in a while.

Sunbathing may be purely for vanity for some people. Acquiring a tan may be what some people prefer so they would look more beautiful. But not all people know that aside from tanning, controlled sun exposure can do wonders for the skin.

How It Helps the Skin

Wounds produce cathelicidin, which is an antimicrobial peptide. That is required to control the overpopulation of bacteria. Together, Vitamin D and cathelicidin can fight bacteria.

On a skin injury, you can find a type of skin cell called Keratinocytes, these are stimulated by the wound. This occurs for an increase in the production of Vitamin D3, which should enhance efficiency of the genes that can detect microbes. With the help of genes together with Vitamin D3, cathelicidin can be generated. If the human body is deficient of cathelicidin and Vitamin D, infections may happen all the time. Infections can cause worse scarring on the face

Dangers of Excess Sunshine Exposure

As they say, too much of something is bad enough. Excess sunshine exposure will harm anyone, so do not overdo sunbathing. It is important that a person consults the doctor first before going on a sunbathing treatment.

The sun can help the person with their acne problem, but there are no guarantees. The repercussions of having too much sun exposure can be much worse: skin cancer afflicted skin. It can even worsen the acne problem. A damaged top layer of skin means more dead skin cells. This will clog the pores and produce more pimples.

For more information, kindly visit Acne and Acne Treatment. Must Read Home Acne Treatment - 18 Tips on Treating Acne at Home.

Important Points to Remember About Remedies For Toenail Fungus

There are plenty of remedies for toenail fungus. If you have a nail fungus infection, you may want to start using a good remedy now. Before you do begin with your home treatment, there are a couple of important points that you should know about home remedies.

Why Use a Natural Remedy

- You can always take medication for toenail fungus. A lot of people however are beginning to choose natural home remedies over medicines. The number one reason is that natural remedies do not typically cause any side effects. Since the ingredients used all come from nature, you would never have to worry about suffering from a new condition after your fungal infection is healed.

- Natural home remedies are cheap. Nail fungal medication is not actually that expensive but you should remember that nail fungi in general are very stubborn. You may have to take medication for months. This means you will be spending for medicines for the same amount of time. That could be a drag on your budget. Natural remedies can be mixed using common cheap ingredients at home.

- With natural remedies you don’t have to approach anyone about your problem. You therefore enjoy greater privacy. You can simply apply your solution at home and no one would be the wiser about your condition.

- Natural remedies for toenail fungus may have nourishing effects. This is because natural ingredients inherently carry their own natural nutrients. Aside from killing nail fungi, some remedies might also bring back the luster of your nail.

Disadvantages of Use

- The main problem with natural remedies is that there are so many of them. Aside from the variety of recommended ingredients, there is also a variety of ways to mix and apply them. How do you know that one method of mixing or applying is better than the rest? Well, there is simply no way to know.

- You could therefore be using your natural remedy incorrectly. That is equivalent to not using any treatment at all. The end result is that your condition may actually begin to worsen.

Tips for Using Remedies

- You may have decided to still take the risk with home remedies. The first thing that you would have to do is to check your remedy source. Where exactly did you get the remedy? Have other people tried using it? How many find it effective?

- Once you have picked a remedy, you have to stick to it. You need to be consistent and diligent with the use of the remedy. This is the only way you can expect some results granting that your remedy is any good at all.

- The sooner you start using a remedy, the better. Nail fungi is easier to treat in its early stages. This is true for all kinds of fungi treatment. In its advanced, painful stages, you may have no choice but to have the nail removed.

The truth about home remedies for toenail fungus is that they really are hit or miss solutions. If you want to be on the mark in curing your nail fungi condition, then you may want to consider using a manufacturer standard natural product instead.

What is the cause of nail fungus? Know more and treat it effectively with the top home remedy for toe nail fungus.

Picking a Remedy For Nail Fungus

Are you looking for a remedy for nail fungus? The truth is that many other people are looking for one too. Here’s what you should know about nail fungi and finding the right remedies when you get infected.

The Horrors of Nail Fungus

You don’t need to panic if you have a nail fungal infection. You won’t die because of it. You should however act quickly. A nail fungi infection could look very harmless at the beginning. You could be suffering from nothing more than a white spot or two on your nail or a dull discoloration of your nail. Many people though suffer from more than just these preliminary symptoms. If you leave your nail untreated, it could begin to turn yellow. The nail could also thicken, become flaky and brittle and may start to smell.

It is when your nail changes color and appearance that you begin to be embarrassed. Not many people would want to sit beside someone who has a very ugly nail. The worst part is that you can’t always hide your ugly nail. Using shoes, gloves or even just nail polish to hide your nail could result in better fungal growth. This is because fungi love warm and moist areas. By covering up, you are actually encouraging moisture retention and more warmth.

The Relief of a Good Remedy

The good news is that there are solutions to nail fungi infection. You do have to start early with the use of a remedy though. Nail fungal infections are best treated in their early stages. Fungi may not die at all if you start treatment too late. When this happens, you might just have to have your nail removed by a doctor.

One popular nail fungi treatment option is to take medication. There are a couple of good ones that your doctor may recommend. Like other forms of medication however, those used for nail fungus may result in some side effects. This is why many people would want to resort to a natural remedy for nail fungus.

Finding a Good Remedy

There are two major kinds of remedies for nail fungi. You can pick between a home remedy and a natural product. Home remedies are of course the cheaper option because you just have to use the ingredients that you have at home. The downside to natural remedies though is that there are so many different sources with different instructions for home remedies. There is simply no way you can tell which instructions, preparations and applications are the best to use. You would have to make a guess and experiment on a home remedy.

A natural product on the other hand may be a better choice for some. Although you may have to spend for it, you at least have the benefit of manufacturer standards. A reputable manufacturer would make sure that careful research and procedure standardization have been conducted before a product is released to the market.

If you notice symptoms of a nail fungal infection, you should begin treatment immediately. Regardless of whether you choose a home remedy for nail fungus or a natural product, early treatment is essential.

Get rid of those ugly fungus under toe nail! Try the best natural remedy for toe nail fungus.

Taking Toe Nail Fungus Medication

You may need toe nail fungus medication for your fungal problem. In most cases, not getting any kind of treatment for nail fungi is simply not an option. Leaving your infection untreated could result in very ugly nails. Some experts also say that untreated infections could lead to more serious infections.

Oral Medications

Medicines for nail fungi can be prescribed by your doctor. You may have to resort to oral medication if your infection is a little bit advanced and is no longer receptive to topical treatments. Before you begin your treatment regimen though, there are a couple of things you should know about oral medicines.

- They do not work overnight. There is simply no magic synthetic pill for toe nail fungus. You would have to be under medication for two months or more. After that, a new, clean nail will begin to grow. In some cases though, toe nail infections could drag on to a little over one year. Nail fungi are typically resistant even to the best medicines.

- Some medicines can’t be taken without a health price. This is simply another way of saying that some oral medications for nail fungi may cause some side effects. The least that you could expect would be skin rashes. There are however, other possible serious side effects caused by prolonged medicine intake.

- Oral medications will not protect you against succeeding infections. Even if you have successfully treated an initial infection, you could get infected again. This is especially if you continue to be exposed to the same conditions that put you at risk of infections. That includes walking barefoot in wet, public places.

Natural Product Options

There are other options besides toe nail fungus medication. One option would be to settle for natural products that have been specifically made to fight nail fungus. Natural products do not cause any side effects and are therefore generally safe to use. Good natural products contain only the best natural ingredients that have been traditionally known to fight against fungal infections.

Do take note though that natural products are also not magic bullets. Like medicines, it could take a lot of time before you are completely free from fungi. You would have to ensure weeks or months of constant and diligent application. Getting infected again after successful treatment is possible.

It is also generally advisable to use natural products only at an early stage. They work best against nail fungi if you use them as soon as you spot initial symptoms such as white nail spots. Natural solutions may not work very well if you use them during the advanced stages of your infection.

Be careful with your product choice. Not all products are what they say they are. If you want to be sure that you have a good natural product, read some product reviews and research on product ingredients.

Your treatment option is a matter of choice. You could opt for toe nail fungus medication or a natural product solution. What is important is that you are aware of what to expect in these types of treatment.

What is the common cause of nail fungus? Know more about the cause and effective toe nail fungus cure options.

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