Pit Bull Terrier Dog Training: Lessons From An Expert

The number one, most basic dog training command is sit and come. Teaching your American Pit Bull Terrier these two commands is extremely important for him to learn. Both of these basic obedience training commands are used for many different reasons such as in competition or dog show and keeping him behaved when you have company. When walking your Pit Bull off leash, you expect him to come to you when called, not run around the park with you chasing after him shouting at him to "come back here!". When I see this (and I do all the time), it just makes me laugh.

Teaching your Pit Bull Terrier how to come isn't difficult, it simply requires repetition. All dogs learn by repeating the desired activity over and over again. The easiest way to get your Pitbull to come is to hold a toy in one hand and a treat in the other. When you are in the yard simply walk away from him, holding out the toy and excitingly calling him to you. When your well-behaved Pit Bull comes to you, give him the treat! Make sure to be consistent and always use the exact same training commands that you are going to use in the future. Repeating this several times a day is an excellent way to teach him, but remember to use lots of long breaks between training sessions so he doesn't get bored and don't forget to reward him with those doggie treats

Getting your Pit to sit could prove to be slightly harder but again, is still only basic dog training that anyone can do. Once you have mastered the come command, call your Pit over to you, place your hand on the end of his back and roll right over his rump and into the back of his legs, giving the "sit" command while gently pushing his legs forward. When he sits properly, give your Pitbull a treat and lots of praise. If you would like him to sit for a longer period of time, simply delay the treat and praise, tell him to "stay", and take your time bending down to him to deliver the treat.

Basic dog training for your Pit is very simple and effective. Please remember to keep the exercise fun for both you and your dog and keep in mind that a training session shouldn't last for hours and hours, keep them short. Lastly, don't forget to reward your obedient Pit for all of his hard work!

Cheap Baby Shower Gifts: Thoughtful Ideas That Won't Break The Bank

Here is a great list of cheap baby shower gift ideas that won't break the bank. Enjoy!

1.Books. Buy baby board books online for less than $5 a pop (shipping included). Get discounted rates when buying on a bundle.

2.Baby Clothes. Any new Mom will appreciate a set of clothes as a baby shower gift. However, if you plan ahead, you can give the Mom-to-be toddler clothes instead of infant sets. She'll surely appreciate the vision. Another tip is to buy off-season, while the clothes are on clearance. You can surely fit more than a piece for under $10.

3. Engraved Charms. If a silver or gold bracelet is out of your budget, why not give a personalized jewelry charm? Choose from several shapes, with heart as being the most popular. It can be used as a pendant or bracelet charm. Have the baby's name and birth date engraved at the back of the charm.

4. Basket of Goodies. In dollar stores, purchase an inexpensive woven basket and decorate it with leftover holiday ribbons. Line the basket with pastel confetti and fill the basket with goodies, like purse versions of lotion, cologne, powder, diaper pins, wet tissues, anything that the baby needs. Some of these miniature items are grocery give-aways, so the over-all price comes really low.

5. Painted Pots. Paint clean clay pots with pastel colors and use stencils to place simple designs. Give a set of three to give the Mom-to-be a handy desktop storage for cotton balls, Qtips, diaper pins, etc.

6. Hand or footprint kit. These are kits that have materials to imprint the baby's hands or feet onto framed shadowboxes. Most kits are at $10.

7. Framed Cross-Stitch. For a personal touch, buy cross-stitch materials and sew the baby's name and birth date on a rectangle piece of cloth. Have it framed for a lasting gift. If you are short of time, give her a short and sweet note written on a copy of the pattern to say, "gift is work-in-progress, will be done in time for his/ her birth."

8. Plant a Tree. Various government-sponsored companies are promoting tree planting and this is definitely a great gift for a baby shower. Most tree planting gifts come with a certificate complete with the baby's name and a personalized dedication. Some companies offer a dollar for every tree, so your $10 can buy 10 trees. Now that's a guarantee of fresh air for the baby's future.

9. Baby Website. For the tech savvy Mom-to-be, create a free website for the future newborn. This gift will last until the baby grows up and can personally edit his or her website. If you know that the parents already have a web host, why not pay for the domain registration of the baby's name so for the next five years, the future new born will have his or her own e-niche.

10. Pamper Mom, Too! Who says baby shower gifts are only for babies? Be creative by giving the Mom-to-be a gift, instead of the baby. After all, the occasion is, in fact, a celebration of her strength and dedication in carrying another life for nine months. Dollar stores frequently offer pampering gift baskets or customize your own, similar to the basket of goodies described above.

Setting Up Your Craft Show Booth

Have you ever walked into a store and immediately been so frustrated that you couldn't even begin to think about spending your money there? Things are haphazardly strewn about, there is little organization, and then to top it all off, when you walk up to an item that you might consider - it has no price tag on it. Don't let this happen to your craft show booth. You need to keep in mind the same principles of good marketing and merchandising when you set up for a craft show.

The first thing you need to do is have a plan. That means putting together an idea of what your craft show booth is going to look like in advance. I've seen so many people just lug their craft show items around in the back of a big van with a few extra stands and tables to place them on. These are the same people that ask, "why didn't I sell anything this weekend?".

Planning your craft show booth involves a couple of things: first, you want to talk to the craft show organizer to see how much space you have, and if there are any restrictions to what you can have in or around your booth. Also, ask if you have a reliable power supply to run your booth. This is important. The next thing you want to do is to get a floor plan of where your booth is located so you can figure out the best set up to keep people moving in and through your craft show display.

When you go to set up you craft show booth for the show, there are a couple of things you MUST keep in mind:

No clutter! Keep your crafts well organized into specific areas. If you are a knitter and you have sweaters for kids and adults, you don't want them together because people will be frustrated with having to sort through the kids sweaters to find the one adult one in the pile.

Spend time perfecting your merchandising skills. If you have a special stained glass window hanging, it would be time well spent to purchase or build a window that you can display in your booth with one of your window hanging's in it. When people see the item in action, they can picture it in their own homes, or they can picture using it. If they can do this, then they are more likely to part with the money to buy it.

Keep items no lower than waist level - No one really wants to bend over after they have been on their feet all day at a craft show. Keep items within a person's reach and they will be more likely to pick it up and examine it closely - which leads to more purchases. Leave the floor area for extra stock (in boxes) that you can fill your racks with.

Price everything you have - Make it easy for people to buy your crafts. If you don't have a price, they may think twice about taking the time to ask - they may just go elsewhere to purchase something at this craft show.

Eliminate log jams. There is nothing worse than having people frustrated by the lack of good flow in a craft show booth. Try and create a natural flow for people to look at your craft show items, be nudged along by others coming through, and right through to the till at the end. If you create to many spaces where people are bottle-necked or they have trouble maneuvering to see different crafts, you are limiting your sales.

Keep your aisles wide and keep everything streamlined. The frustrated customer does not spend their money in a craft show booth that frustrates them.

Remember, you are running a business. Think of that store that you despise going into versus the one where everything flows so nicely, the displays are appealing and all of the price tags are on the items for sale. Make your craft show booth resemble the store you like - and you'll find that people will spend more money on your crafts!

Scented Candles And Their Soothing Power

Are you sick and tired of thinking of the perfect gift to give to your friends on their birthdays? Maybe you want to give something a lot more personalized aside from your homey but boring batches of chocolate chip cookies. You hate the thought of giving out generic gifts because you also very much abhor receiving run-of-the-mill gifts that go straight in your basement. It's high time you learn some do-it-yourself potential gift items that truly make the recipients feel honored to have you as a friend. One time, while I was out shopping, I came across this quaint specialty shop downtown which sells exquisite how-to book on scented candles. The hard-bound book, which include materials for trial, is fairly cheap so I immediately purchased it and went home delighted. The first batch of candles I made wasn't exactly perfect but was good enough to display at my room.

If you're the kind of person who likes romantic candlelight dinner dates or whose idea of relaxation involves quiet reading time by the nook, then the scented ones are for you. These candles come in variety of shapes, sizes and yes, scents that can surely fascinate anyone. Not only are these scented accessories a beauty to behold, they also have the ability to soothe you after a tiring day at work. One has the option to perfume these wax-made products using either synthetic fragrance or essential oils. Both smell terrific but the latter produce more aromatic scents that can generally ease stress. Essential oils, originating from barks and stems of certain plants and flowers like jasmine, lavender, cedar wood, calendula, and lemon grass, lend unique vibrancy and authentic sensuality to a candle. Fragrance oils, on the other hand, are less expensive but also very appealing.

Do scented candles really have certain health benefits or do they also have negative effects on your body? Actually, there are particular kinds or methods of producing candles which are thought of as harmful. Candle experts agree that wicks that are made from metal are dangerous because they often cause lead poisoning and air pollution. Always make sure you purchase a candle made from paper, hemp, or cotton wicks as they are more health and nature-friendly. Beeswax and soy varieties are also safer to use instead of paraffin. When buying questionable products, meticulously ask the vendor about the candle's method of preparation or the ingredients used. Make sure the ones you buy don't have chemical additives. Better yet, do your own ration of the candle. Through personally sourcing the materials and preparing them yourself, you can be assured you're using and giving your loved ones only the best.

Project ideas for Decoupage

Here are some varied ideas for new decoupage projects. We've even included some children's projects as well.

Boxes

Boxes provide interesting results when done with decoupage. A variety of boxes are available in craft stores. A box should be given two or three thin coats of an oil based paint as a base and at least three coats of varnish to finish. The final coat can be rubbed with dampened emery cloth for a fine, soft, matte finish.

When lining a box with fabric, put the seam at the front of the box. When the box is opened, you can see the back "wall" of the box but not the front one where the seam is.

If lining a box without overlapping the fabric onto a piece of cardboard, glue the pieces of fabric on to the sides and then glue decorative braid along the top edge to hide the raw edge.

Lining a box finishes it well, especially a jewelry box or a trinket box. To line a box cut a piece of sturdy cardboard to fit into the bottom. It should fall in and out easily, without catching on the sides. Cut a piece of wadding the same size as the cardboard. Cut a piece of fabric about an inch larger on all sides than the cardboard. Put the fabric face down on the table with the wadding and then the cardboard on top. Cut the corners off diagonally so that you don't have a bulge at the corner. Pull one edge of the fabric up onto the cardboard and glue it down. Bring each side of the fabric up onto the cardboard and glue down. To glue this padded shape into the box, run a line of glue on the box bottom close to the sides. Push the padded shape down into the box and press firmly.

Soft flock can be used to give a box a soft, flocked interior and comes in a variety of colors. It's a good idea to paint the inside of the box a similar color.
Soft flock comes in two parts. There is a colored glue in a bottle, paint this inside the box. Sprinkle the flock pieces generously into the box. Close the box and shake vigorously. Pour out any excess onto a piece of clean paper. Use the paper as a funnel to put the excess back into the bottle. If you want to flock the inside of the box but not the lid of the box, insert a piece of cardboard between the box and lid, close the lid and shake. When you remove the cardboard, the lid will be clean and the box will be flocked.

Picture Frames

Picture frames make ideal gifts. Or you can use decoupage to brighten up a cheap frame. As you need to see how the frame will look once upright, it's a good idea to attach your cutouts with tiny pieces of masking tape to work out their positioning.

Remember to remove the back and glass before beginning work. Use your fingers to wrap your cutouts over the edges of the frame. To ensure that you cover your frame completely with varnish, you may want to prop it up. You can use dowels rods as a frame and balance your picture frame across them. Make sure that you have newspaper below to catch any drips and gently wipe drips from the underside with a cloth. Leave it in position for a couple of days to dry thoroughly.

Candles

Mark your design on the candle. If the candle is wrapped, remove the wrapper to a quarter inch more than the design area. If it isn't wrapped, mask off the area to be left plain with paper and fasten with tape. Lightly sand the area to be painted and remove dust with a cloth. Apply two thin coats of oil-based varnish to the uncovered area. If you're placing images on a painted background, sponge on a couple of coats of gesso. Don't sand and allow to dry between coats. Sponge on background colors and allow to dry. Finish with up to five coats of varnish, lightly sanding between the last two coats. Using a craft knife, remove the wrapper and tape. Finish the cut edge with ribbon or braid.



Children's Projects

Decoupage is a craft that is easy enough for children to be involved in. With their small fingers, children are often capable of very fine work with practice. However, depending on the age and ability of the child, you may want to make a few allowances. It's best to think it through so that they can work with your guidance, but actually perform each step themselves.

Boys as well as girls can enjoy decoupage, and as many young boys are fascinated with small and fiddly items, they can be particularly adept at this sort of work. Decoupage can be helpful in developing hand-eye co-ordination as well as powers of concentration. Once they have been introduced to the techniques, most children can be left to do projects alone, so long as someone is available for advice if they run into problems. If you aren't yet competent at decoupage yourself, you can learn together.

Children will usually prefer decoupaging different types of items to adults. A serving tray is likely to have little appeal, but a lunch box or moneybox would get lots of use. For a first project, it's best to start with something small, and many children enjoy decorating blown eggs, and are fascinated with the process of blowing the eggs.

For very young children, you can use safety scissors with rounded ends. As these scissors make it more difficult to cut small areas accurately, you will need to choose simple images and shapes to work with. Comic books can make a good supply of images and, generally, the bold pictures will be easy to cut out.

As many children get bored easily, it's worth taking a few moments to plan how the project is going to be done so they spend as little time waiting around as possible. Instead of cutting out all the images first and then after painting a surface, sitting around waiting for it to dry, paint the object first and the cutting can be done while it's drying. Or you can have two projects on the go at once so that they can switch between them.

Getting rid of air bubbles can cause the greatest problems and the easiest tool for most children to use will be the back of a spoon. Rather than using varnish or lacquer to finish, it's safer to use glue. Keep varnishes and paints out of reach of small children.

With a little forethought, decoupage is one of the safest crafts children can be involved in and it's simple enough for them to produce pleasing results.

Adopting A Dog

If you have been thinking of getting a new dog, have you considered all the options available to you? The obvious choice people make, when considering a new dog is to go to a specialized dog breeder. A good dog breeder will be able to sell you a puppy that has been checked for genetic problems, diseases etc and will very often provide you with a high quality pedigree dog that should be free from problems that plague a lot of dogs.

This is ideal for a lot of people but of course will come at a price. There is an alternative - adopting a puppy or adult dog.

There are lots of dogs that are without homes at animal shelters or humane societies. These animals are often a victim of circumstance. Either an owner has died, or an elderly person cannot cope any more. Sadly through no fault of their own, they have ended up homeless. Adopting a dog, may be a great way to offer a loving home to one of these dogs.

A lot of people are concerned that they may end up with an unhealthy dog, or a dog that may be aggressive by getting one from a shelter. Most animal shelters will check a dog for good health and good temperament, so if there are any problems you will be told about them. Also, a lot of shelters offer in-house training to increase the chances of a dog finding a new home. Which is great for everybody!

The best way to go about adopting a dog is to pay a visit to your nearest animal shelter. Explain to the staff there, what kind of dog would suit you and your family. Bear in mind that if you have very small children, getting a large dog may not be a good idea. Similarly if you have an apartment, maybe think about getting a small dog that doesn't require vast amounts of exercise. A bit of forethought before you arrive will make finding the perfect dog for you that much easier.





When you bring your new dog home, try and imagine things from her perspective. Your new dog has probably been through a lot in the past so bringing her to yet another new home may well be overwhelming. The best thing to do is keep her on a leash at first, and gradually introduce her to your home letting her sniff each room until she has got a feel for her new surroundings. Also take her to relieve her bladder outside if she has been on a long car journey with you.
Once she has settled down, allow her to walk freely off the leash inside your home (not outside off the leash yet). This will give her a chance to find 'her' spot. By this I mean her favorite place. We all have a favorite spot where we like to go, dogs are no different. If you have bought a new dog bed or blanket for your new arrival, this may be the place to put it. She will naturally go to that spot so having a comfy new bed there will help her settle in.

Your new dog may be very quiet for the first few days but don't worry, this is part of the settling in process. After a short while your dog will be a fully settled in new member of the family.

Adopting from an animal shelter is a great way to get a new companion and a great way to make a new and happy future for your dog.