Get Your Dog to Follow Your Orders

Experts say that dogs are one of the smartest animals. To prove their point, they have shown dogs that can add, flush the toilet bowl, get the newspaper and even play the piano (off tune, of course)! If you are a dog owner but have no experience in teaching your dog anything at all, you might want to start now while your dog is still young.

The first thing any owner would teach their dog is how to sit. Just like any other command, the sit command cannot be taught overnight. You need to have a lot of patience (and a lot of treats) until the dog finally masters it.

When you start training, you could give your dog treats for successful commands. However, as you progress, wean him off the treats so that the dog will follow your command because you told him so and not because he wants to get a treat.

As you slowly take out treats from your training process, make sure that you give positive recognition for every command that your dog follows. Dogs associate high-pitched voices, much like baby talk, as a positive reinforcement.

If your dog does not follow you, do not shout and hit him! Instead, correct him with "No" but make sure you say it in a deeper voice to show the dog that you mean business. As soon as he stops, repeat the process again.

Make sure that you do not stop in day one when teaching your dog any trick. Not all dogs have the same retention. Some might be able to remember the command overnight, while some might need a week. Just be consistent in teaching him tricks by setting aside about twenty minutes every day for your training.

Preventing Toilet Clogs

The sight of water rising instead of falling in the basin of a toilet shortly after flushing strikes fear in the hearts of many people. This sad sight means that the toilet sewage line has somehow become clogged. The first course of action in a situation like this is usually to grab the plunger and fish it around the bottom of the toilet looking for the toilet drain.

Then most people will give a few half-hearted plunges in a meek effort to dislodge any blockages while making sure not to splash dirty toilet water anywhere near there body. Some people actually go the the lengths of standing on bathtubs, sinks, or any other bathroom fixture in an effort to keep even the smallest drop of water from landing on their body.

In spite of their best efforts, most people will inevitably be splashed with the dirty water. This combined with the fact that the toilet is still clogged makes the experience all the more unpleasant. So how can you avoid this situation from happening to you in the future? Well aside from dietary changes, here are some simple ways to make sure your toilet remains clog-free.

1. Do not use excessive toilet paper. Many people use huge amounts of toilet paper when using the bathroom and this can lead to blockages forming in the sewage line. Limiting the amount of toilet paper thrown into the toilet basin will help prevent these types of blockages.

2. Do not flush paper towels. Paper towels are made to absorb and are not designed to break down in the same way that toilet paper is. Flushing paper towels in standard toilets is a great way to create a problem.

3. Use a drain cleaner periodically. Periodic use of an industrial strength drain cleaner can help to prevent clogs from forming and make sure your sewage line remains clear.

Follwing these few simple tips can help any home-owner prevent toilet clogs.