Many people hear the terms veterinary assistant and veterinary technician and assume that they are interchangeable. This is incorrect. The two jobs are quite different, with different responsibilities and pay scales. This is because they require different levels of training and education.

If we look at the root of all of these differences, we need to start with training and schooling. If you know someone who is a veterinary technician, this person has graduated from a two-year program of study. More importantly, the program is standardized, and accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. All veterinary techs have a strong skill set they have learned.

That's not all. A vet tech is also licensed. You can't get licensed without passing a state board examination. So not only have they graduated from an accredited program, they've demonstrated via licensing exam that they have mastered the material.

Veterinary assistants don't face these same professional hurdles. There's no two-year Associate's degree program. Some veterinary assistants may have certificates, or some training in high school, but most simply learn on the job at an animal clinic.

Because of this, vet assistants' job responsibilities are a lot more basic. They hold the animals during checkups, and also clean instruments and clinic areas like kennels and exam rooms. They also do some clerical work like filing or answering phones.

The veterinary technician, on the other hand, will complete much more complex tasks like giving x-rays to animals, administering vaccinations, assisting vets in surgery, collecting and analyzing samples, to name just a few.

You have probably correctly surmised that the two positions don't have the same pay scale. Vet technicians make a good bit more money and have better job prospects. They can earn $15 or more per hour with a few years experience, whereas your average vet assistant only earns around $9-10 per hour.

Which career path you should choose depends on how long you want to stay in the position. If you are just looking to work with animals and need a job that doesn't require a degree for maybe part-time or temporary work, vet assistant is the way to go. On the other hand, if you are making a long-term career choice, you'll want to invest the time into becoming a veterinary technician.

The author also often gives advice regarding subject like walk in closets design and portable closet storage.

categories: veterinary,career,animals,pets,environment,health,education,job,medicine,research,training,work,finance,job

Written by Trevor Churchill using tags: animals, career, education, environment, finance, health, job, medicine, Pets, research, training, veterinary, work

It is important that you train your cat properly because they are unlike most animals. Dogs and cats are very different and training them is different as well. They have very different personalities and you need to understand that cats are just more independent.

The best place to start training your cat is to teach it not to jump on the table. Ideally, you will start teaching your cat this when it is still a kitten. This way the cat grows up knowing that the table is not where they should be.

Make sure that you do not put food on the table for them because this will give them a mixed message and they will not understand what to do.

Your cat should also be taught to stop biting. One thing that can help with this is if you watch where you pet or touch the cat. Some cats are edgy about various areas of their bodies. Female cats especially can become upset if you touch their hindquarters. When cats are touched in ways that bother them, they may bite.

Cats make wonderful pets. If you teach them right from wrong when they are a kittens, they grow up knowing how to behave. It's much harder to teach an older cat. If for the first year of its life a cat has been allowed on the table and then you try to train it, it will be confused as to why suddenly it is not supposed to do something that used to be ok.

It may take some time before they know what you consider right from wrong but they will get it.

Remember, a well-behaved cat is a more pleasant pet to have. It will make a big difference to your enjoyment of your pet.

Invest some time and effort into teaching your cat the proper way to behave. This will be well worth it. Know at the outset, though, that it won't happen overnight.

The author additionally often shares knowledge on subject such as kitchen cabinet refacing and stainless range hoods.

categories: pets,cats,kittens,feline,animals,training,advice,home,education,pet care,science,food,happiness,personality

Written by Martha Churchill using tags: advice, animals, Cats, education, feline, Food, happiness, Home, kittens, personality, Pet Care, Pets, science, training

It is common to see dogs that can do not just tricks but also chores. Some dogs can fetch things in the house, some can open doors, and others can do addition by their barks or even run errands for their owners. It is no wonder there exists a special relationship between humans and dogs.

Dog owners who do not have skills to teach their dog to do anything can try to do so as early as possible while their dog is young. The younger the dog, the easier they are to be taught basic obedience.

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 an alternative to treats, you can reward your dog's obedience through a gesture of acknowledgement for every command followed. A gentle and encouraging tone of voice, a pat on the head, or a caress will do as substitute for treats to reinforce the training process.

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.

As mentioned earlier, a dog cannot learn a trick or to obey a command in a day; therefore, exercise patience and be consistent with your training as dogs vary in their ability to obey or to learn a trick.

It may take a week, or maybe a couple of days, depending on the dog. As long as you keep at it, and reward them, they will get it eventually, and during the process you and your dog will bond as well.

The individual has been publishing commentary about pets for the last two years. Additionally, the individual loves publishing articles about different things, like long nails as well as nail enamel.

categories: Pets,Dogs,Animals,Training,Home,Family,Parenting,Communication,Advice,Techniques,Relationships,Children,Teens

Written by Lauren Miller using tags: advice, animals, children, communication, Dogs, family, Home, parenting, Pets, relationships, Techniques, teens, training

We are often asked, "How many jumps should I start with?" You can never have too many single jumps to practice agility. A good starting place is four jumps. This is the absolute minimum number of jumps that we recommend.

With four jumps you can learn your dog a lot of different skills, exercises and drills. With this number of jumps you can work on jump grid and short jump chute. It is also possible to setup a "box", so you can practice collection, handling and 270 degree jumps.

You can teach your dog jumping left and right. You can be outside the box and send your dog or you can handle from the inside of the box. Your jumps can be setup in a horizontal line, so that you can practice serpentines and treadles.

After the four jumps come the eight jumps. In this variation you can setup two boxes and have one introductory jump. Now you can train your dog with multiplied drills. And your jump grids can also be of suggested size and quantity of jumps.

Another option is to setup the jumps in circles with jump bars at a 90 degree angle to the circle or on the bounds of the circle. With this pattern you can train a lot of various skills.

Now it is time to start thinking about double jumps and triple jumps. It is fine enough to setup two or three single jumps, but double and triple jumps is of much more value to the dog agility practice. It is not unusual to see a dog doing a clean course until the last triple jump; and then lose it all, because it is not ready for it.

If you really want to be ahead of the pack, you should have two sets up eight jumps. Because you can keep the jump grip at all times, it is the ultimate in training. The jumps can be separated from the course work. And when you then includes your double and triple jumps, it is possible the practice all the jumping drills and skills to get the "Qs".

Martin Elmer is the editor of Hundefan - a website about ting til hunde. Here you can also read about toej til hunde.

categories: dogs,agility,dog agility,dog training,training,practice,equipment,agility equipment,dog agility equipment,jumps,pets

Written by Martin Elmer using tags: agility, agility equipment, agility-pet-urns, dog agility, dog agility equipment, dog training, dog-agility-starter-kit, Dogs, equipment, jumps, Pets, practice, training

It can be an overwhelming experience the first time, you bring home a dog. Your new best friend will need a lot of attention and care. But you will make your life (and your dogs) much easier, if you learn to behave. And here is the right training crucial.

When a professional dog trainer trains the dogs, it looks very simple; but it is not. So you will probably experience that even the simplest training methods is difficult. But when it looks darkest, you must remember that most dogs want to please their owners. So the more time you spend training your dog, the more it will love you; and obey you.

You should start to train you dog, when it is between 3 and 16 weeks. The bonds between it and you will start to take hold. So the future training will be much easier, if you earn its respect there.

The pillar of good dog training is commands. But even though it looks simple, when the professional dog trainer is doing it, you might find it difficult. And the dog will probably not obey you.

The secret is in the tone of the voice. Professional dog trainers do not posses special animal talking skills; they are just experienced in dog behavior and know how voice can get the dog to do, what they want. And you can learn the same by practicing.

The right command tone is firm but non-threatening. To make the dog obey you, you much establish a relationship between you and the dog, where you are the master. If you miss that, you will not be able to train your dog. And threatening or yelling will not help you. It will just make your dog fear you.

The best way to train a dog is by praising it, when it has done something right. Even though it can distinguish between right and wrong, you have to learn it the difference. And you do that by giving it proper feedback when training.

So to shown if it behaves right or wrong, you should use your voice. This way you learn it to distinguish between good and bad behavior. And remember that all dogs are trying to please their owners, so it will do everything it can to follow your instructions.

As a dog training beginner the voice is the first thing you have to master. When you feel comfortable with that, you can start practicing more complicated training methods.

And a final issue; the temperament and intelligence are different for all dogs. So when a method might work on one dog, it might not on another. So learn which methods that works with your dog; and stick to them.

Martin Elmer is the editor of Hundefan - a website about hundeartikler. Here you can also read about loppemidler.

categories: dogs,training,dog training,beginner,methods,commands,tone of voice,praise,intelligence,temperament

Written by Martin Elmer using tags: beginner, commands, dog training, Dogs, intelligence, methods, praise, temperament, tone of voice, training