Latest Articles by patdoyle

8 Tips For Traveling With Your Dog

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Just because you have a dog doesn’t mean you have to stay home all the time. If you plan ahead and take a little care, it is easy and fun to travel with your dog.

Here are some tips to make the trip easier on both you and your pet:

1. Get your dog used to riding in the car by taking him on short trips. Go to fun places like the dog park, the fast food drive through (where you can feed him bits of meat from your burger), or to visit friends. You want him to think that trips in the car are fun. You don’t want your dog to think that all car trips end up at the vet’s office.

2. If your dog tends to get carsick, don’t feed him the morning of the trip. Having your dog travel with an empty stomach will help to prevent any car sickness.

3. Bring plenty of water and a water dish along. You will need to give your dog periodic drinks of water when you stop for a rest. It will be easier to get your dog to drink if it is familiar water from home. Water in different places often smells or tastes differently, and your dog may not want to drink it.

4. Be sure to pack your dog’s food, treats, favorite bed, toys, and leash.

5. If your dog uses a crate, bring that along too. If you don’t have a large vehicle, you can buy crates that fold up. When you get to your destination, you can put your dog in his crate while you go somewhere that you can’t bring him along.

6. How should your dog travel in the car? Some dogs like to sit or lay on the seat, so bring a blanket to protect the upholstery. Other dogs may need to be kept in a crate in the car. Be sure the crate can’t slide around and scare the dog while you’re driving. You can also purchase dog seat belts to keep your dog safe while sitting in the car.

7. Make a stop every few hours to walk your dog and give him some water. Some dogs are frightened by the noisy trucks driving by, so try to walk in a quiet area. Be a good citizen and bring plastic bags along to pick up the mess.

8. If your dog is anxious about staying in a hotel or strange house at your destination, he might not eat or drink. You don’t want him to get dehydrated, so be sure to get him to drink, at least. You can mix chicken broth or gravy into the dog’s water. That will usually get him to lap it right up. You can mix chicken broth or gravy into the food too.

The first trip will be the hardest, because your dog will not realize that you are coming back. With the first trip behind you, if you have taken the time to make sure it is pleasant for your dog, future traveling with your dog should be a breeze.

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Learn more about dogs and dog breeds at http://doggiewoggie.com/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Water Filters: Facts You May Not Know

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Water filters that are used in the home are mainly used to remove various metals or chemicals. Examples of substances that can be removed are chlorine or lead. Sometimes the water filters are used to get rid of harmful substances, and at other times they are used to improve the taste or odor of the water.

There are many types of filters that can be used in the home. These include microporous ceramic filters, carbon block resin, metallic alloy filters, granular activated carbon filters, ultra-filtration membranes, distillation systems, and reverse osmosis flters.

Microporous ceramic filters use ceramic to pass the water through. The pores in the ceramic are so small that the unwanted substances are not able to pass through with the water. When this type of filter gets clogged up, you just need to run water through it in the reverse direction to unclog the pores.

Granular activated carbon filters work by passing the water through a type of carbon that filters out the impurities. Carbon filters have to be replaced periodically. They cannot change the acidity of water.

Water distillers work by boiling the water and then catching and condensing the steam back into water. The result should be totally pure water. However, this process does remove the good minerals from the water too.

Reverse osmosis filters use pressure to drive the reverse osmosis process, and the result is very pure water, just like distilled water. It was originally invented in order to create drinking water from salt water, but it works for taking out other substances too. Like distilled water, there will be no minerals left in the water.

There are various points in your home where you can install a water filter. If you want to filter your whole home’s water at once, you can install a whole house water filtration system. A smaller solution would be to install a water filter under your kitchen sink to filter only the water in the kitchen.

Other water filters come built into refrigerators and filter the water that is used to create ice as well as the water that is dispensed in the refrigerator door.

You can get a water pitcher that will filter just a pitcher full of water at a time. You can even get water bottles with a built in filter. This is great for use at work, since you can just add tap water to the bottle and you will be drinking filtered water.

There are numerous health benefits to drinking filtered water. Water filters can remove harmful substances such as lead, chlorine, bacteria, harmful metals, and other toxins. Filtered water often tastes better too, so you drink more of it, which is good for your overall health. Even cooked food can taste better when prepared with filtered water.

Home water filters are cheaper in the long run than continually purchasing bottled water. It saves you the time and effort of carrying home all that water too. And you don’t need to find a place to store the water bottles. Having filtered water always available is definitely very convenient.

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You can see many different types of water filters at http://www.wateryoudrink.com/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Save Money On Relocating

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

When you are moving, you are already spending a lot of extra money. It helps to know some tricks for saving some money. Then your moving expenditures will not be so great.

One of the easiest ways to save money on relocating is to move less stuff.

Be sure to go through your things beforehand and throw out, give away, or sell whatever you will not need. A lot of people get into a time crunch when they are relocating, and they don’t have time to do this. They end up moving a lot of stuff that they then throw out when they reach their destination.

Talk about a waste of money. Take the time to get rid of these things before you move.
Remember that if you give some of your stuff away, you should request a receipt so that you can deduct the amount donated from your taxes. This will save you money again.

Another way to save money is to do a lot of the work yourself. Even if you hire movers, you can do the packing yourself. This will save a lot of money. The time-intensive work costs the most, so do your own packing and save a bundle. Remember to get started early if you are going to be doing your own packing. You can’t pack up an entire household at the last minute.

Of course, you can save even more by renting a moving truck and loading and driving it yourself. But here you have to think about how much help you have. If it takes you two days to load the truck, you might be cheaper off to hire professionals to do your relocation. They will do it a lot quicker and you will lose less friends too.

When you are relocating, there are a lot of ways to save money besides the obvious. For example, make sure you leave your old apartment in pristine condition, so that you will get your security deposit back. This is like found money that can be used for other things when you are moving.

You can also save money by canceling your cable service a month early. You won’t have much time to watch it anyway. You will be too busy packing and going through your things in preparation for the move. In the place you are relocating to, wait a month before hooking up the cable. In this way, you save the money of two months of cable service.

On the day of the relocation, pack yourself some meals in a cooler and you can save a lot of money on restaurant meals.

Sometimes the stress of relocating makes you spend money just to save time and energy. But if you plan ahead, you will not have these unexpected expenses. Instead of renting an expensive hotel room, try to stay with friends, or at least pack the kids of to Grandma’s until the move is over.

Be creative, and you will come up with a lot more ways to save money on relocating.

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Get more tips on Moving and Relocation at http://moving-help-central.com/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Dog Training Career: What is Involved?

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

A dog training career may be just right for you, if you love working with dogs. Dogs of all ages, from puppies to older dogs, need training, and their owners often don’t know how to train them. They look for a professional dog trainer to do the job.

If you are thinking of a dog training career, you might want to start by practicing on your own dog. If you are good at training your dog, you might be good at training other people’s dogs. But if training your dog leaves you frustrated and drained, then becoming a dog trainer might not be the best career for you.

When you are training dogs, you are actually training the owners more than the dogs, so you need to be good with people to consider a dog training career. People are not at their best when they are frustrated or embarrassed by their dog’s behavior. Will you be able to deal with these distraught owners calmly, while at the same time tending to their dogs? Give this some thought.

Consider volunteering to help out at a dog training class at your local shelter. You will get a feel for what is involved in a dog training career. If you are good, the teacher may let you teach a segment of the class. This will be your trial by fire. If you do a good job, then you can move forward with your training.

You can prepare for a dog training career in several ways.

1. Attend a school specifically for those interested in a dog training career. There are many schools and seminars available. Be sure to get lots of hands on training.

2. Become an intern or apprentice to a dog trainer in your area. This way, you can learn dog training on the job.

3. Become a certified dog trainer. Do a search on the internet for dog training certification programs.

Once you have the proper education in dog training, starting your business should be easy. Decide if you want to work with individual clients in their homes or offer dog training classes. It is a good idea to offer a combination of both. By advertising your dog training classes, people who want individual help training their dogs will hear about you too. Soon your dog training career will be off to a great start.

Check around in your area for facilities where you can hold the dog training classes. Often the local humane society will have space for classes, or you could check with dog day care facilities. In warm weather, you may be able to hold your classes outdoors.

Advertise your services by leaving brochures about your training program with veterinarians, dog supply stores, and pet shelters. This way, your advertising will not cost you much.

Congratulations! You have followed the steps above and have a thriving dog training career. You love dogs and are working with them every day. For a dog lover and a natural teacher, you have found the ideal business to be in.

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Visit Doggiewoggie: All About Dogs at http://doggiewoggie.com/ to learn more about dog training.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Collecting Native American Pottery

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Native American pottery is fun to collect. There are so many different pueblos, and each one has its own style of pottery. While collecting the pottery, you are also learning a lot about Native American art and culture.

This form of art has been practiced for thousands of years. Yet it is constantly improving as modern artists are experimenting with new techniques and designs. You can purchase antique pottery or modern versions, and each has its pros and cons. Of course, the older pottery is much more expensive, if it is in good condition, because of the value as an antique. But the newer pottery can be just as beautiful or even more so. It is important to collect what you like and can afford.

The first thing you should do is visit some websites and look at photos of Native American pottery. WHen you see enough good quality pottery, you will train your eye to recognize what is good. Be sure to read some books on the subject as well.

If you can visit New Mexico or Arizona, be sure to visit some of the pueblos where the pottery is made. Often the pueblo will have a cultural center where they display works of the local artists, along with a lot of information about their history and crafts. This will help you get a feel for the pottery as well.

You can purchase pottery at these cultural centers, but you might be better off buying the pottery directly from the artist. For sure, you should not buy the pottery at the expensive shops in the tourist areas of Santa Fe or Albuquerque. It will be marked up a great deal there.

You can also purchase pueblo pottery online. You can often get some good discounts at online sites. Of course, you can't handle the pottery then, so be sure that they have good photos of the pottery at the website.

Try to get the largest examples of pottery you can afford. It should not have any chips or cracks, as that will reduce the value. Also, some pottery is made from molds, which is ok, but the hand made pottery is more valuable. In any case, even the pottery made from a mold should be hand painted beautifully by the potter.

It is fun to collect pottery from the different pueblos. It is amazing how different they can be. The differences could be in the color of clay used, the shapes of the pottery, the subject matter of sculptures, the amount of carving on the piece, the style of painting, and so on. Get a good book showing the various styles. It wll help you a lot.

There are many different types of pottery too. Some are ollas, bowls, seed pots, traditional wedding vases, story teller figurines, figures of animals, and many others.

Some of the Native American potters have become quite famous, and their work can be very expensive, but it is also extremely beautiful. But the work of lesser known potters can be lovely as well, and is much more affordable. You can always start out simply and purchase more expensive pottery as you get more familiar with it.

Enjoy your new hobby of collecting Native American pottery!

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Visit Native American Pottery for more information and examples of Native American pottery from Santa Clara, Mata Ortiz, Acoma, and other pueblos.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

How To Make Good Money with Affiliate Programs

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

What are the secrets to making money as an affiliate?

Don't just put up an advertisement or a link to the product in your sidebar. Some people might click on the link out of curiosity, but it's doubtful that you will make many sales.

In order to get sales, you need to pre-sell the product. You need to really interest your reader in the affiliate product. You do this in a blog post, not in your sidebar.

There are a couple of ways to go about pre-selling your product.

1. Write a Product Review

If you want to write a review of the product, be sure to do it the right way. Follow these hints and you'll be on your way:

* Know your product. To really know it, you should be using the product yourself, or at least have some familiarity with it.

* Stress the benefits of the product. Remember, there is a difference between features and benefits. Features are the objective facts about the product. For example, you can say that the product helps you to increase traffic.

But what is the benefit of that? The benefit is that more traffic means more money, more admiration, the chance to be an a-list blogger, etc. These are the benefits - the things that really mean something to your reader.

* Don’t build too much hype around the product. Give it a good honest review. You might want to mention something you did not like about the product, not just the good aspects of it. It won’t hurt you to add something negative - it actually helps, since your readers see you are being honest.

* If possible, write about some real results you have achieved by using the product. For example, if it is an ebook about how to get more traffic, then tell about how it increased your traffic by 37%, or whatever the case may be. But don’t lie about it. Your readers can tell whether you are being honest with them.

* Don't do a hard sell. You don't have to sell the product; you just have to pre-sell it. All you have to do is get your readers into a receptive frame of mind and interested in the topic.

2. Make the Product a Tanget to Your Main Point

A product review is one way to pre-sell the product. But another way is to write a blog post which gets your readers excited about the topic, and then you just mention the product in passing.

For example, do a post about the benefits of getting traffic to your site. Then in passing you can mention the ebook about getting traffic.

Or, do a post about how to do keyword research and why it is important. Then you can just happen to mention a product that you use to do your keyword research.

The idea is to get people thinking about the topic and how it would benefit them. Then when they click through to the sales page about the product, they are already in the frame of mind where they want some help in that area.

Create Interested Visitors

Whatever way you decide to do your post, remember the main points I have made:

1. Stress benefits, not features.

2. Pre-sell the product, don't do a hard sell.

3. Use your blog posts, not the sidebar, to promote your affiliate programs.

Keep those points in mind when you are promoting affiliate programs on your blog. Be sure to do your job of pre-selling, and you will make much more money with your affiliate programs.

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Would you like more moneymaking ideas? Pat B. Doyle teaches people how to make money online at her blog, http://www.patbdoyle.com/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com