You have a pet dog and would love it to be disciplined, obedient and well-behaved. It may not be easy but with patience, and understanding, it can be. Just remember to treat your dog as a member of your family and it shall learn its lessons well. Dogs are a lot like humans in behavior through their growing years. Hence, train them when puppies. If it is a young one, be patient for they shall tend to ignore you like teenagers do. You need to handle them like your kids.

Whenever we wish to tell someone something, we generally call out his/her name. Same thing goes for the dogs who love to have their own names. They obey commands if said along with their names as: Danny, Sit! Among the common commands taught to pet dogs is Sit; a tricky one to teach wherein you can either motivate the dog sit on its own (motivational dog training) or you can gently teach it how to sit.

The first method needs practice and can take time but is a well tested and reliable one wherein the dog willingly sits due to your action. Here, you need to attract the dogs attention with something (treat/toy) it likes. Take the object and dangle it right above its nose, such that the dog is forced to look up. With the dog attention firmly on the object, move your hand slowly and gradually backwards over its head. Don’t be too fast or slow or else the dog shall lose interest in the object. Now, the dog will have to sit to see the object; while it is lowering its back to sit, speak out Sit and encourage it to sit. After the dog sits, reward it with praises, or a treat. Once the dog learns to sit quickly, a simple hand movement over its head is enough to make it sit.

The second method is to make the dog sit by your side (say left) and use your hand (right) to dangle something in front of the dog to hold its attention. At the same time, with your other hand (left), gently press down its back so that it moves into a sitting position. Keep saying Sit, till it finally sits. For large dogs, you need to wrap your arm around its back and gently force their back legs to sit, thus making them sit.

Command the dog to sit, gently and warmly such that it feels good, like Sit, good boy, Danny! or Sit down, well done! If the dog is already sitting, make it feel good by patting it or with praise.

Dog training techniques are varied. You have the choice and can seek the help of CDs, DVDs, videos, cassettes, books or consult the pet store or society. Internet (via google.com) is another place with tons of information; through search phrases such as dog training techniques or dog training aids or how to make pet dog sit etc. Check out the techniques and try out whichever you like.

If you are cat owners, you may have to encounter emergency situations pertaining to your kitty. Your cat may fall ill anytime unexpectedly or meet an accident which would require you to act as her vet and treat her on urgent basis. In such emergency situations, mostly, you do not have the time to get across your vet.

For this reason, every cat owner needs to have the basic first aid knowledge and know-how to manage such situations. It is absolutely imperative to equip yourself with this knowledge because sometimes it may prove deadly for your cat if she is left untreated in emergencies. Here are some of the common emergency issues and their treatment.

Your kitty may break its bone while climbing, jumping or in a road accident. It is not recommend setting the broken bone yourself. All you need to do in this situation is to stop the bleeding if any with ice or cold water and take her to the vet for proper treatment.

Choking is also common issue amongst cats. If your cat gets choked, open her mouth gently and see if you can see the object. You must remember not to tilt her head backwards. You can remove the object if it is visible with the help of a tweezer or your own fingers. Make sure you do not push the object as it will aggravate the situation all the more. You should hold her upside down and press on her chest using your hands. In case you are able to remove the object, it is still advisable to take her to the vet to be on the safe side.

Getting an electric shock is also a serious issue. Some kitties bite electric wires while playing with them. It may produce burns on her tongue or palate of her mouth. It may cause breathing problem or pain in her mouth. You must remember that you should not touch your cat if it touching an exposed electric wire. You need to turn of the current first and then put your cat away from it with the help of a wooden stick. Take her to the vet.

If your cat encounters eye injury and the eye is bleeding, just wipe the blood with wet cloth. You must not let your cat go on rubbing her eyes. It is also advisable to not apply any medicine without consulting the vet.

Dogs very rarely think about what they consume, unless it’s a hidden pill wrapped in a piece of bread or cheese (my dog carefully eats the tasty wrapper and spits out the pill). Most of the time, a dog will simply swallow its food whole, and dogs can choke just like humans. Saving a dog with a blocked airway uses the same treatment as a human as well. If you know CPR, you can help your choking dog.

Dogs are like children: You have to keep an eye on them all the time. Before you start giving your dog CPR, you should try to determine what your pet is choking on to begin with. Most likely, the culprit will be a bone or a small toy. Balls, if they’re small enough, are another possibility. A dog’s mouth is the equivalent of our fingers. Young dogs and pups will pick things up and taste them just to see what they are.

As with toddlers, always be certain that dog toys are large enough that they won’t accidentally be swallowed. When a dog gets something stuck in their throat, it will paw at their muzzle and try to retch up the blockage. A dog won’t be very cooperative with any human that’s trying to remove an object from its throat or mouth either, but a blocked throat is a medical emergency. If the dog stops breathing, it will pass out and could die.

If your dog remains conscious, you should try to remove the object blocking your dog’s breathing. Start by forcing your dog’s mouth open and trying to pull the object out of the mouth or throat immediately. Ideally, you should be able to see the object obstructing your dog’s breathing, but if you can’t see it, try raising your dog’s butt and back legs off the ground slightly before using a modified Heimlich maneuver.

The canine Heimlich maneuver begins with you pressing your flattened hand against the bottom of the dog’s rib cage. Push into the dog’s chest, pressing the dog’s lungs against its spine and back, and with any luck, this should cause the dog to cough up whatever was blocking its breathing. If the dog falls unconscious, try to perform the chest pressing maneuver twice again before giving two artificial respirations (breathing into the dog’s mouth; most first aid texts cover this in more detail), and then checking the dog’s mouth again. Repeat the process of two compressions and two artificial respirations until normal breathing returns.

Practice makes perfect. Just as you would practice a home fire drill with your children, it is good to have a few practice sessions with your dog for various first aid techniques. This way, should the time come that your dog needs help, the process will be more familiar to your pet and he’ll be less likely to struggle. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for professional advise or help.