Many people think that bacteria are a bad thing to have in an aquarium, but any healthy aquarium should have an amount of beneficial nitrifying bacteria. Without this bacteria, home aquariums would simple be impossible! When waste is created by fish or extra food in your tank it turns into ammonia in the water. Ammonia is harmful to fish, so an aquarium should never have elevated levels of ammonia. The ammonia is converted into nitrite by bacteria that feeds off of ammonia, and then another type of bacteria turns the nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate is the end product of this cycle, and is much less harmful to fish. The nitrates are removed when a water change is done. It is recommended to change 1/3 of the aquarium’s water once a month to keep the levels of nitrates down. This should be done with a gravel vacuum which remove debris and excess waste from the rocks.

Nitrifying bacteria builds up slowly in the rocks and filter of the fish tank. As more fish are added, more bacteria build up to keep up with the amount of waste being produced. This is why it is recommended to add fish slowly to your tank to prevent an ammonia spike.

Almost all lizards (and many snakes) need to have UVB and UVA lighting (also known as full-spectrum lighting) to live a healthy and long life. UVA is contained in most lighting that is available, including basking lights. UVB lighting can be harder to come by, but is the most important. The right levels of UVB are needed for lizards to be able to absorb calcium. Like in humans, day light helps lizards to make Vitamin D3, which allows them to absorb vitamin D. This allows baby and adult lizards to grow and develop healthy bones. Without UVB lighting many reptiles will develop bone abnormalities.

Vitamin D deficiencies can cause baby lizards to have spasm, even seizures. These seizures can result in death. In a milder situation the lizards develop soft or brittle bones, which can create jaw deformities that can affect regular feeding. Many will also be stunted in growth by a lack in Vitamin D.

UVB lighting is available in both compact fluorescent and regular fluorescent bulbs. A compact hood or a fluorescent hood will need to be purchased to house the bulb. This lighting will be in addition to a basking light that produces heat for your lizard. Your lizard should also be given a vitamin supplement that contains calcium for a long and healthy life.

Over the centuries many methods and devices for controlling large and powerful animals have been tried. The idea of a training tool that gives more effective control is not a new one. One effective principle says “when you control the direction of an animal’s head you can more easily control the direction of the animal’s body”. Training dogs to use head collars work on this same principle.

One of the advantages head collars have over buckle, choke, or pinch collars is their ability to aid the dog handler in achieving a high level of control using far less physical strength. This has revolutionized training as methods requiring less force can be applied by greater numbers of people and used on greater numbers of dogs.

Using a Head Collar

Head collars are used for guiding. They are sometimes called power steering for dogs. Head collars are not muzzles.

Gentle pressure is all that is typically needed to teach a simple command like sit or to stop a dog from pulling. Head collars offer immediate control over dogs that drag their owners down the street on buckle or choke collars. They are self-correcting collars thought by many training professionals to be the most humane and safe of all collars.

Getting Started

Some dogs will accept a head collar with little or no complaint, while others need to learn to wear one comfortably. If the dog constantly paws at the collar or rubs her head against various objects in an attempt to remove it, re-read the instructions and make sure the collar is not uncomfortably tight or too loose.

Create a direct association between the head collar and fun quality time.

• If the dog likes the game, play fetch while she is wearing the head collar.
• Take the dog for a fun walk when wearing the head collar.
• Play with the dog and her favorite toys while she is wearing the head collar.
• Give the dog some super special treats while she is wearing the head collar.
• Pay constant attention to her while she is wearing the head collar.
• Remember: Never leave any dog unattended on any type of training collar.

If a dog is still resistant to wearing the head collar, start by just showing the dog the head collar. Do not put the collar on the dog. Give her small treats or some other reward when exposed to the head collar for at least two or three days. After that time, the dog should be extremely positive when she sees the collar and you can continue trying to fit it on her.

Positive Reinforcement

Once your dog is wearing its head collar properly, let her wear the head collar for approximately five to ten minutes. During this time, be sure to praise, feed, and play with her so as to make the experience of wearing the collar extremely positive. This typically serves to distract most dogs, thus preventing them from attempting to remove the collar. Use a favorite squeaky toy, ball, or even a small super special treat to help distract your dog.

It is also important to avoid taking the collar off just because the dog resists wearing it. If she gets the collar off, simply put it back on and continue your lesson. Do not attempt any obedience during these initial sessions. Avoid scolding the dog for any reason and make the sessions as positive as possible.

When five to ten minutes has passed, remove the collar. After two to four sessions, most dogs will wear the head collar with little or no complaint. If the dog is making some progress, i.e., is less resistant then when you started, try another four sessions and reassess. Most dogs will accept and readily wear a head collar after minimal amounts of training.

Progress to longer periods

Once you see the dog consistently acting in a positive fashion, i.e., tail wagging, excited, when exposed to the collar; put the head collar on the dog, treat, and then remove the collar. Repeat this process three times per day for about a week. Assuming she remains positive, slowly get the dog used to wearing the head collar by increasing the time she wears it at the rate of one or two minutes per day. This means after a week’s worth of work, the dog will spend anywhere from seven to fourteen minutes wearing the collar during each session. After seven days, three sessions will add up to anywhere between twenty-one to forty-two minutes per day.

After seven days of wearing the head collar, start attaching a leash to the head collar when the dog is wearing it. Let the dog drag the leash around and treat the dog during this process. After a week of this you should be able to easily train the dog with the head collar.

When the dog reaches this point, you are ready to progress to obedience.

Two popular brands of head collars that we carry are the Gentle Leader® and the Halti®.

Gentle Leader®

When the Gentle Leader® is fitted properly, the dog is free to open his mouth to eat, drink, pant, fetch, bark and even bite – except when his mouth is closed by pulling on the leash. The Gentle Leader® features two soft nylon straps. The neck strap should be positioned as high on the neck as possible. It should be directly behind the ears and touching the base of the skull in back while above the Adam’s apple in front. The nose strap fits loosely and comfortably across the muzzle.

If your dog is resistant when you are using a Gentle Leader, the problem is often that the collar is not properly fitted on the dog. Read through the instructions that come with the Gentle Leader and adjust the collar accordingly.

Halti®

The Halti® offers the dog freedom of mouth as well. The Halti® is fitted by slipping the nose band gently over the muzzle and then taking the strap of the collar around to the back of the neck to fasten the buckle. The nose band should lie midway between the eyes and the nose, but not restrict panting. This can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the collar. Initially, the Halti® should be fitted snugly to reduce the chance of the dog removing it.

If using a Halti, resistance is typically short lived and can easily be overcome with the use of positive reinforcement.