How to make your dog happy.

How to make your dog happy.

Your dog is trying to tell you something—are you listening? “Why does my dog do that?” It’s a question every dog owner has asked—whether their best friend is growling at an unseen foe, or rolling in an objectionable scent. Now, world-leading canine experts and fellow dog-lovers Melissa Starling and Paul McGreevy are here with all the answers: How dogs use body language to communicate (with both people and other dogs)what motivates dogs (and what doesn’t).Rules for canine contentment (for example, most dogs don’t enjoy hugging),Subtle signs of discomfort, stress, and fear (like lip licking).Learn how to choose the furry companion that’s right for you. In Making Dogs Happy, you’ll learn to see the world as your dog does—full of goals to pursue, resources to guard, and stressors to avoid. Using that knowledge, you’ll be able to communicate with (and train) your dog so that they’re the happiest hound on the block. Decode your dog’s emotions and behaviors—and be the best dog parent you can be. Get it here.

How to House-Train A Dog.

How to House-Train A Dog. The C.R.A.P STRATEGY. C=CONFINEMENT, R=ROUTINE, A=ATTENTION, P=PLATINUM REWARDS. Confinement Preventing your dog from pottying in the wrong place is the first and most important housetraining task. Since most of us cannot keep our eyes on our dogs every minute, having a safe, comfortable confinement area is key to housetraining success. Most dogs naturally avoid going potty in their sleeping areas, so confining your dog in a small enough area that is more bed-like than room-like not only prevents unwanted accidents but also will help him develop bowel and bladder control. What are appropriate confinement areas? I am a huge fan of crates, used appropriately, once dogs are comfortable with them. An area that is fenced off with a portable exercise pen or a smaller room (such as a bathroom or laundry room with a baby gate across the door) can also serve as a confinement area. The key is that any confinement area should be small and cozy enough for your dog that he will choose “holding it” over pottying in it. When confinement is in place and used appropriately, there will be a decrease in potty accidents and an increase in bowel and bladder control. As your dog enjoys continued success at pottying outdoors appropriately and not pottying indoors, you can increase the size of the area where he is confined when not being supervised. Don’t go too far, giving him whole-house freedom after he hasn’t had an accident for a few days. Instead, use an exercise pen to expand his confinement area by, say, 50 to 100 square feet more per week of success. Routine Both dogs and humans benefit from a predictable, consistent housetraining routine. This routine should account for confinement time, potty breaks, meal times, play time, training time, walks, and all the other enriching activities that are part of your dog’s daily life. I recommend my clients create a written routine that includes potty breaks a minimum of every hour or two, depending on the age and situation of the dog. The general rule for “holding it” in a crate or pen is that dogs should have the ability to hold their bowels and bladder, in hours, the number of months they are plus one. So, a three-month-old pup ought to be able to hold his urine and poop for four hours. However, there are so many exceptions to this rule; most notably, that activity often makes a pup have to “go.” The best routines, then, are based on a solid understanding of your dog. Attention The first question I ask when a client asks me a question about a difficulty with their dog’s housetraining is: “Are you catching your dog in the act of pottying inappropriately or just finding the evidence after the fact?” More often than not, people sheepishly confess that they usually find the mess after the fact – and this always means their attention needs to be improved. There are two huge benefits to maintaining a laser focus on your dog when he is not confined. First, you can start to recognize and reward your dog’s “gotta go” signals. When your dog begins to pace, circle, and sniff, you can applaud his signaling (“Awesome doggie! Let’s go, go, GO!”) and rush him to his potty place. Rewarding “gotta go” signals will encourage your dog to become more demonstrative when he feels the urge – communication that is as helpful to us as it is to our dogs. Second, when we catch him in the act we can provide immediate feedback. A simple “Hey, hey!” while hustling him to his potty spot will make the point that there’s a difference between the spot where he started and that special place you want him to go. PLATINUM REWARDS. When housetraining a new dog (puppy or adult) I make sure I know what my dog considers “platinum level rewards.” Housetraining is a big deal, and it requires that we acknowledge our dog’s success with a fitting outcome for his or her achievement. High-value food rewards should be stored on a shelf or table by the door so you can grab them on the way out with your dog

The complete guide on potty training: How To Potty Train A Dog..

. The complete guide on potty training: How to Potty Train A Dog.Potty training dogs is not very easy, but everyone who shares their lives with dogs must do it. How to house train a puppy is slightly different than how to house train a dog, but the tools, routines and human commitment levels required to do it well are the same. Potty-training situations are of three types: (1) dogs who have never learned the appropriate place “to go,” (2) dogs who were once housetrained but are having a training regression, and (3) dogs who are pottying involuntarily – that is, they have no control over their urination or defecation. It just happens without any intent and often without the dog even realizing it is happening at all. Let’s look at these in order. The complete guide: Housetraining For the Never-Housetrained Dog Perhaps you have a brand new pup or a newly adopted teen or older dog. One thing that is vitally important to building a happy interspecies household is that your new dog becomes housetrained as quickly and reliably as possible. You should be equipped and ready to start housetraining your new dog from the moment that you bring him home. Housetraining involves more than just learning where to potty; dogs and puppies must also learn to “hold it” until they get to an appropriate potty location and how to notify you to get them there. To help dogs build these skills and to help keep us on track with our housetraining responsibilities, I encourage people to think of housetraining in terms of C.R.A.P. Each letter of the acronym stands for an important part of the housetraining program: Confinement, Routine, Attention, Platinum rewards.

POTTY TRAINING : WHY YOU SHOULD NOT RUB YOUR DOG's NOSE IN HIS POO.

POTTY TRAINING : WHY YOU SHOULD NOT RUB YOUR DOG's NOSE IN HIS POO. Potty training is simple, and it is. You take them outside CONSTANTLY, and you walk around with them and you watch them. And when they pee, you praise and give them a treat. Then you can bring them inside for about five minutes of scrutiny-free time and breakfast. But right after breakfast, you are all outside again, walking around, looking for that poop! What to do in case of a "POO ACCIDENT". What about the old “rub their nose in it” business? It’s poppycock. It makes them afraid of you, they don’t understand why you’ve grabbed them and have attacked them and are being gross. It’s a terrific way to induce a lifelong fear of humans, especially if there is poop or pee around, and to make them want to hide from you when they do go (so they become reluctant to go anywhere, even outdoors, near you; instead, you may find pee spots in closets and poop under your bed). It can be effective, if you see a puppy start to squat, to run and grab the pup and carry them outside quickly – not in a way that scares the puppy, just interrupts her long enough so that she has some left to finish outside, where you can praise her. Being whisked outside isn’t all that comfortable, and it may be a little alarming – hopefully, just enough to interrupt her and not scare her, and what she remembers is the praise and maybe a treat for finishing outside. Simple! Not easy!

Potty Training: Simple, But Not Easy.

Potty Training: Simple, But Not Easy. Potty training is simple, and it is. You take them outside CONSTANTLY, and you walk around with them and you watch them. And when they pee, you praise and give them a treat. Then you can bring them inside for about five minutes of scrutiny-free time and breakfast. But right after breakfast, you are all outside again, walking around, looking for that poop! And when that happens, you praise and give them a treat, and then you can bring them inside again, for maybe 10-15 minutes of scrutiny-free time, before you need to go out again for another pee. You take them out after every nap. You take them out after every meal. You take them out after every play session ends. You take them out if it’s been more than 15 minutes since they last "went"! Simple! Not easy! And what if they don’t “go”? Well, the smart thing to do is to pop them into a crate, because very few puppies will potty in a crate, so you can make sure that they don’t have a chance to “make a mistake” and pee or poop indoors, where you don’t want them to while you are not paying attention. It is not possible to watch them every minute, even while sheltering in place! And if they potty in the house (or in your home office), they have just effectively been reinforced for doing so; it feels good to relieve the fullness of your bladder! And every mistake seems to build on itself; it’s far easier to just make darn sure a mistake doesn’t happen. In my experience, if you can get through three days of not letting them make even ONE mistake indoors, you’re pretty much home free with the potty training. They will want to go outdoors to potty and get right to business when you take them outside.

Food Security and COVID-19.

Food Security and COVID-19.Alarmed by a potential rise in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and organizations are mounting special efforts to keep agriculture safely running as an essential business, markets well supplied in affordable and nutritious food, and consumers still able to access and purchase food despite movement restrictions and income losses. 


However, as the coronavirus crisis unfolds, disruptions in domestic food supply chains and other shocks affecting food production, and loss of incomes and remittances are creating strong tensions and food security risks in many countries.

Did you know: reducing food waste can help the planet?.

Did you know: reducing food waste can help the planet? Did you know that approximately one third of all food produced in the world for human consumption is wasted? This has significant impacts on both the environment and food security.

 Climate change is exacerbating this problem — particularly for highly perishable products such as fruits and vegetables. Higher temperatures and new and worsening pests combine to make it very difficult for farmers to reduce their post-harvest losses. COVID-19 makes food waste an even more critical problem to solve.

TechnoServe is advising farmers on better practices to reduce food waste in Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania.