The hog roast dates back before gothic times. In medieval and early modern kitchens, the spit was the favorite way of preparing meat in a grand household. A servant sat near the spit twisting the metal rod slowly and readying the food; they were known as the “spit boy” or “spit jack”. More mechanical means were later invented, first rotated by dog-powered treadmill, and then by steam power and mechanical clockwork mechanisms. Spits are now usually driven by electric motors.Rotisserie is a style of roasting where meat is skewered on a spit - a long heavy rod used to hold food while it is being prepared over a fire in a fireplace or over a campfire, or roasted in an oven. This method is mostly used for cooking big joints of meat or entire animals, such as hogs, turkeys, lambs or historically, entire cattle. The rotation cooks the meat evenly in its own juices and allows easy access for continuous basting if desired. The effects are meat cooked to perfection and a taste that is second to none, this great way of cooking is once again becoming one of the most fashionable ways of cooking large pieces of meat by adding some of the dramatics and spectacle back into cooking.
Animals, Pets
Herbology, basically, is the use of herbs in the treatment of
many types of illness. Herein the emphasis of treatment is based
strongly on the specific use of herbal roots, flowers and leaves
to stimulate the healing process. Keep in mind that these herbs
are not a form of drug(as in man-made forms, such as aspirin)
but are strictly natural in content. Practiced for centuries,
herbology is probably one of the most primitive and fundamental
uses of specific remedies to treat various illnesses, known
today.
How, though, does the knowledge of herbal alternatives tie in
with owning an animal? Think about it for a moment. What do wild
animals, or even your pets, typically do when they are not
feeling up to par? Most instinctively seek out appropriate herbs
when they are sick. How many times have you witnessed your dog
eating grasses?
Many man-made drugs are simply compounds based upon active
principles found in many herbs. One simple example could be
caffeine found in coffee. Herbalists differ from most
traditional medicinal methods at this point however. Herbalists
believe in the use of the entire substance- not in simply the
use of one part. They believe the whole is much greater than the
sum of one or more parts.
Basically, herbs work much slower than traditional
medicines(t.m.’s) though they do many things t.m.’s don’t- such
as detoxify the body, stimulate movement of the bowels or
urination, and add vitamins and minerals to the patients system
which are already greatly needed.
Herbal remedies have also been used to treat animals over the
centuries for such illnesses as arthritis, worms,
diarrhea/constipation, diabetes, epilepsy, mange and cataracts,
among others. Juliette de Bairacli-Levy is an author who
emphasizes the use of herbs in the treatment of many ailments in
connection with pets. She also emphasizes the importance of
freshly gathered herbs, natural diet and fasting.
Probably the biggest drawback to herbal therapy would be the
amount which must be administered, the very frequent intervals
of administration and the extended periods of time over which
administration must occur. Additionally, many herbs do not taste
good in their natural state and must be disguised in food.
Still, if you are willing to carry out a complete program,
administering “medications” at their proper intervals, herbal
alternatives are very effective in treating and curing many
types of ailments. For more information concerning herbs and
their uses, contact your nearest herbalist or herbal store.
Article written and reprinted with permission of:
http://www.pedigreedpups.com/ Purebred Dogs, Puppies and Dog
Breeders - “Your New Best Friend” Copyright 2005. All rights
reserved.
Dog Lovers - 7 Ways To Love Your Dog
Our dogs add so much to our lives, giving us unconditional love and affection. Here are some suggestions to help your dog live a comfortable, happy life.
1. Regular exercise and fresh air helps your dog’s immune system function at its peak. The exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous in nature, but a consistent walk or friendly play at a local park can work wonders for a dog’s mental as well as physical health.
2. Regular check-ups with your veterinarian are a must. Ask your doctor about the dangers of over-vaccinating and the possibility of checking your dog’s immune system with a blood titer test. A yearly visit with your doctor will give you a chance to ask any questions you may have, and will give your veterinarian an opportunity to catch any problems before they develop into something serious.
3. Provide a clean, safe environment for your dog free of second-hand smoke. Give him or her a quiet, comfortable place to sleep. Most breeds of dogs prefer to live indoors with their family. Only a few large breeds meant to live outdoors to protect sheep are suited to a life in all kinds of weather away from human contact.
4. Give your canine easy access to a fenced backyard or other suitable place so that they can relieve themselves during the day if you are going to be gone for long stretches at a time. A doggie door is ideal, but if this is impractical for your home, there are professional dog walkers who would love to stop by to give your dog a much needed walk during the day or evening.
5. Plenty of fresh, wholesome food and fresh water are key to maintaining a dog’s health. Raw food diets are gaining popularity, but if this is not something you or your dog would enjoy, there are other high grade alternatives. Read the labels of any product you purchase for your dog and steer clear of products with artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives. The Whole Dog Journal is an excellent source of information and suggestions for which foods are the most nutritious and beneficial for dogs.
6. Daily grooming is important for all dogs, especially those with long coats. A quick brushing before bedtime is important for two reasons. It will remove any loose hair and skin and also will give you a chance to check for ticks or other problems your dog may have developed. Brushing your dog’s teeth is also vital to their oral health. There are special canine formulas and toothbrushes made especially for this purpose. (Never use human toothpaste on your dog.)
7. Positive, enjoyable training is available from reputable professionals for you and your dog. Training should be fun for both of you. Steer clear from any dog training classes that use punishment or adverse methods. Clicker training and reward based training can help guide you and your dog to a happy understanding of what you are requesting of your dog.
Many enjoyable dog-loving years await anyone who sincerely desires to create and maintain a positive relationship with their dog.
© Connie Bowen
Note: this article may be re-published freely as long as the following resource box is included at the end of the article and as long as you link to the URL mentioned in the resource box:
Pet Portrait Artist, and Professional Illustrator Connie Bowen creates stunning pet portrait paintings on canvas from photos. Specializing in capturing the spiritual nature of dogs, cats, horses and other animals in a realistic fashion with impressionistic backgrounds as seen on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s TV show, Art Beat. Over 200 pet portraits completed and counting! Visit http://www.conniebowen.com to view exquisite samples.
My Wabi-Sabi Master is My Dog
Perfection is a gooey chew toy on a worn out old blankie
By GALINA PEMBROKE
Up until recently, three dominant attitudes have ruled my living space:
my boyfriend’s: if it breaks, fix it.
my own: if it breaks, replace it.
and my dog’s: if it breaks, keep it and love it all the more
Without realizing it, my dog has been a master practitioner of wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that celebrates the simple and the handmade, including the flaws.
Especially the flaws…
More than just the appreciation of unpretentious art and craft, wabi-sabi is a uniquely joyful way of viewing and contemplating the world. As Leonard Koren describes it in Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers, wabi-sabi is “the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.” It is no coincidence that the first practitioners of wabi-sabi were Zen Buddhist monks and tea-masters.
My dog Tucker is a 30-pound, wooly sheltie-crossbreed; painted by the creator with a wholly imperfect, abstract pattern of brown, black and white. With his flattened, rock-chewing teeth; he is an unlikely leader. Yet, through his actions, Tucker has shown me the beauty of wabi-sabi .
Presents and Presence
Every year I celebrate Tucker’s birthday which I maintain is the day he stepped out of the dog pound and in through my door. For me, this means the renewed challenge of shopping for a new dog toy that promises to delight Tucker and light up his wabi-sabi life. For Tucker, this means the aggravation of me dangling another squeak-toy or Kong product in front of his unimpressed snout. I am such a consumer fool.
Every year it’s the same. Polite dog that he is, Tucker examines the shiny new object with feigned interest before dismissing it. He then curls up in his war-torn blanket to gnaw on his ancient, barely identifiable, mangled ball. Once a perfect sphere, it now resembles a cracked egg. With its aged crevices and broken, rounded protuberances, I am unable to understand how he could be near it- let alone mouth it.
Tucker, however, couldn’t be happier. Drooling contentedly over his gooey-soft ball, he shows me that perfection cannot be bought, achieved, manipulated, or maintained. It is an inner experience: canine wabi-sabi.
The Perfect Cloud
In India, there is a mantra signifying this feeling of fullness. Translated, it is “That is perfect. This is perfect. From the perfect springs the perfect. If the perfect is taken from the perfect, the perfect remains.”
Too bad this understanding is absent from so much of our “new is better” consumer society.
Wabi-sabi is a less wasteful way of living. Even Tucker’s assortment of bought-and-soon- forgotten dog toys can be donated. Satisfaction with things as they are, though used and worn, means we replace less and save more.
Handmade and one-of-a-kind, wabi-sabi pottery is deliberately and gloriously “pre-owned” right out of the box. Wabi-sabi regards these flaws as enhancements. Western culture imitates this in marketing, with new-worn jeans and marked-up furniture. We tag this as recycled and call ourselves retro. Recycling doesn’t exist in the wabi-sabi world. My attempts at converting Tucker’s ball into sheet-plastic via the recycle box, have been met with prompt retrieval by digging paws and slobbering jaw. In wabi-sabi, decay replaces conversion. [Would be interesting to note the similarity(?) to the modern Western countercultural aesthetic of worn and torn blue jeans and recycled vintage clothing and furniture.] As Buddhist poet and musician Leonard Cohen observes in his song “Anthem,” “There’s a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in.” In life, rain and ice may crack and erode the new and the beautiful, but the crumbling marks they leave behind are the signature of water, the ultimate life-giver. Thus, wabi-sabi doesn’t simply see the silver lining in every cloud, it sees the cloud itself as a silver lining in a perfect blue sky.
As I struggle to appreciate the beauty of decay, Tucker is my faithful wabi-sabi master.
Tucker and I are running barefoot through the soft sands of my hometown’s ocean beach. The night air feels clean and cool. I stop often, dislodging the golden-grains from between my blue-painted-toes while searching for a stick. I throw Tucker a three-foot long mini-log, and he returns it as a six-inch frayed twig. He will not surrender it. I hoist and parade another mini-log. He ignores me. He is mesmerized by the twig. He has the perfect chew toy. Marred. Scarred. Semi-hard. Its decay proves to be its strength. It is the perfect Tucker stick toy in all its dwindling six-inch glory.
I too have a habit of chewing my environment. Pens and pencils are particularly attractive when I’m struggling with a new challenge. In the past, I would discard my teeth-indented creative tools”. But Tucker has taught me the value of fractured belongings. Now when I look at the mangled implements of my creative struggles, I see their scars as battle wounds, each one a testament to the origin of a thought. I keep and respect them.
Everything is Enough
As Plato suggested true perfection is always an ideal, never a reality. Consider “the perfect egg.” There are so many variables beyond the cook’s control: the stove-top temperature, the accuracy of the timer, the needy neighbors relentless ringing (I love alliteration) at the door. Even if you do achieve the ideal creamy softness
or just-hard-enough suppleness, the egg still won’t taste just right if you’re queasy over being dumped, fired, or otherwise jarred by the outside world. Ultimately, the perfect egg is an inside job.
As the Tao Te Ching it states “If you mold a cup you have to make it hollow: it is the emptiness within that makes it useful.” Westernized society tends to see holes as absences, instead of potential. Every day we suffer disappointments, because reality - like some mangled chew toy or overboiled egg - falls short of our ideals.
Yet those rows of hard bitten pencils bear witness to our best efforts. We have given it our best shot. Like Tucker, all we need do now to find wabi-sabi contentment is to stretch out on our war-torn blankets and delight in what we have.
About the Author
Galina Pembroke is an internationally published writer who specializes in health, self-help and spirituality. She is publisher and editor-in-chief of New View magazine online. Launched March 6, 2005, New View is a comprehensive resource that offers information and inspiration for a happier, healthier life. Visit them at http://www.nuvunow.ca
Dog Training - Discover What Training Is The Best Way And Foundation To Accomplish Many Types Of Dog
There are many different styles of dog training, and finding the one that works best for you is important for creating a dog that is a talented, loyal and faithful member of the family. All successful methods of dog training work to reinforce the relationship between dog and handler, and the foundation of any successful training program is getting the respect of the dog. Fortunately, dogs are wired by nature to seek out leaders, and to follow the direction of those leaders.
Both leash/collar training and reward training have been around for a very long time, and they have proven their effectiveness over time. The type of training that works best will vary from dog to dog, and from breed to breed. It is important to remember that each breed of dog has its own unique qualities, reinforced by hundreds of years of selective breeding.
The leash and training collar is the most basic piece of equipment used in training a dog. Using the lead and training collar properly is vital to successful dog training. The training collar is designed to apply a specific amount of pressure each time the leash is tightened. The amount of pressure put on the leash controls the amount of pressure placed on the training collar, and the pressure can be adjusted according to how the dog responds.
Of course personalities of individual dogs vary quite a bit, even within established breeds. You, as the owner of the dog, know better than anyone which style of dog training will work best, so it is important to work with the trainer you choose to achieve your goal of a willing, obedient and friendly dog.
Leash and collar training is the best way to accomplish many types of dog training, particularly in situations where the dog must have a high level of reliability. For instance, dogs that have an important job to do, such as rescue dogs, police dogs and guard dogs, generally benefit from leash and collar training.
The first part of training with collar and leash, of course, is to purchase a quality, well made training collar that will fit your dog properly. There are many types of training collars and leashes on the market. The most important thing is to choose one that is sturdy and well made. The last thing you want to do is chase your dog down after he has broken his collar.
The length of the collar should be approximately two inches longer than the circumference of the dog’s neck. It is important to accurately measure the dog’s neck using a measuring tape. In order to get an accurate measurement, you must make sure that the tape is not tight around the dog’s neck.
In a collar and leash based dog training program, first the dog is taught a particular behavior, generally with the leash. After the dog has demonstrated that it understands the command, the leash is then used to correct the dog if it disobeys, or when it makes a mistake. The leash is the main form of controlling and communicating with the dog in leash and collar training.
When using leash and collar training, the dog must be trained to trust the handler and accept his or her directions without question. In order for the dog to be fully trained, the handler must demonstrate the ability to place the dog into a posture or position he or she does not want to take. This does not mean using force, but it does generally require some level of physical manipulation. This manipulation is most easily and safely done using the main tool of leash and collar training - the leash.
The well trained dog is one who will walk at his owner’s side on a loose lead, neither dropping behind nor charging ahead.
The well trained dog will also vary his pace to meet that of his handler. Under no circumstances should the handler be forced to change his or her pace to match that of the dog.
If the dog does begin to charge ahead, it is important to correct the dog promptly by giving a quick tug on the leash. This will give the dog a good reminder that he needs to change his pace. It is important to quickly relieve the pressure as soon as the dog responds. The training collar is designed to relieve pressure as soon as the leash is loosened.
Most dogs will immediately respond to corrections by a good, properly used training collar. If the dog does not respond as directed, it may be necessary to apply greater pressure. This can be especially true of large dogs or those who have preexisting behavior or control problems. If you are still unable to get a response from your dog, it is possible that you are using a training collar that is not large enough for your dog. If you think this may be the case, be sure to ask for expert advice before proceeding.
Discover How You Can Train Your Dog With Immediate Effective Results Using Proven Simple Steps For FREE
Click Here => www.absolute-dog-training.com
Feed the dog good food
About the Author
freelance writer
Shih Tzu Topknots, Eyes, And Ear Care
The standard coat of a Shih Tzu should be luxuriously long and dense with a good wooly undercoat. The hair on top of the head may be tied up. When a Shih Tzu is completely brushed and combed the Shih Tzu should have a sleek look. The beard come to a point and a long, luxuriant moustache flows over the beard.
Method of making a Shih Tzu or Shih Tzu puppy topknot:
1. Part the hair from the ear on both sides of the head.
2. Gather up in one hand the hair in the middle and slip on a latex band at the base.
3. The band may have to be wrapped around twice to make it secure.
4. A ribbon or barrette is recommended to be attached to latex band.
How to make your own Shih Tzu or Shih Tzu puppy bows:
1. Cut one yard of ribbon. The ribbon can be any width you desire.
2. From this yard of ribbon, cut another piece about 5″ long. Splice this in half lengthwise.
3. Cut the remainder of the yard in half. This material should give you enough for two ribbons or bows.
4. Wrap one of the long pieces around two fingers. Slip the folded ribbon off your fingers and double it over.
5. With a utility scissors, snip off a piece at the corners in a “V” shape, but not a sharp V, for you will lose any thread of support. There should be a piece of ribbon left at the centerfold to hold it all together.
6. Take one of the spliced pieces (5″) and tie the ribbon at the centerfold securely.
7. Separate each fold by gently pulling out and twisting each fold out from the center. Do both sides. When all the folds are pulled out and twisted, the bow is completed. All that remains is to fasten the bow to a tuft of hair, using the ends of the center splice to tie the knot. Cut off any excess ribbon that remains.
Care of the Shih Tzu or Shih Tzu puppy’s ears:
Because of the long hair covering the Shih Tzu puppy’s ears, problems can develop when the ear gets little air. Clean the excess hair out of your Shih Tzu puppy’s ear canal (not the ear flap) to improve air circulation and help prevent infection.
Care of the Shih Tzu’s eyes:
Shih Tzu generally have large eyes with shallow sockets. A Shih Tzu’s eyes are more prone to injury than most other breeds. If your Shih Tzu puppy’s eyes are red or cloudy or tear excessively, or if your dog squints and rubs at his eye, have a vet look at your Shih Tzu puppy’s eye to determine the cause.
Professionalism in Shih Tzu grooming:
The word professional means “one skilled in a profession, craft, or art. The word professionalism is defined as “the methods, manner, or spirit of a profession.
To become professional at anything, one must have the skills appropriate to the art, craft or profession and must conduct themselves professionally.
Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com
Treating Your Rabbits Broken Leg Without Breaking the Bank
Having a bunny break a leg can be traumatic for both you and
your bunny. Treating can be very expensive. Heres an artcile
describing what we decided to do for our bunny, and her
excellent recovery.
Having a bunny break its leg can be a very traumatic experience
for both the bunny and for you. We raise holland lops, and the
tort color often does well on the show table. We have had
several colored rabbits with big wins but wanted to add tort to
our herd. We purchased a tort doe over the internet, and had her
delivered at a show we were attending. That was the last time we
agreed to buy a rabbit without first seeing it. The doe was very
skittish. The day after picking up the rabbit, our oldest
daughter took the doe from her cage, the doe freaked out and
jumped from her arms, unto our carpeted floor.
My daughter called me over and said I think there’s something
wrong with the rabbit. Her left hind leg was dangling as if she
had no control over it. At first I thought she may have
dislocated her hip, but upon feeling that area found no
dislocation. My next thought was a broken leg. I felt her leg
looking for a break as there was no visible sign of a break.
Again I found nothing. I decided to check again for a
dislocation, and that’s when I found a break on her femur, near
the hip.
I began my search for a veterinarian that could possibly reset
the leg. We finally found a vet about an hour away that would be
able to do it. The cost would be from $500 - $1500 to set the
leg, depending on the x-rays they would need to take, and if
surgery would be necessary. The cost was out of the question,
and we decided to look for answers elsewhere.
We received many suggestions, including putting the rabbit down,
to trying to reset the leg myself. Since neither of seemed to be
options that we wanted to take. We decided to treat the bunny
ourselves without resetting the leg. This was a difficult choice
as this beautiful doe would no longer be showable, but we would
be able to use her as pet, or if all went well a brood doe.
The biggest concern in treating a broken leg is mobility. It is
important to stabilize the leg as much as possible and keep the
bunny from moving the leg. We decided she would have to stay in
a carrying cage for the 6-8 weeks it would take for her leg to
heal. We considered putting a towel next to her to further
reduce her ability to move within the carrying cage, but decided
against it for sanitary reasons.
Being immobilized for such a long period of time also gave us
other health concerns. We constantly monitored her food, water
and hay intake. We also checked to make sure there were ample
droppings in the wood shavings.
We were prepared to give her pain medications in the beginning.
However, she never showed any visible signs that she was in
pain. Of course everyone wanted to hold and comfort her while
she spent the 7 weeks in the carrying cage, but she was simply
off limits. Her leg needed to heal and the more she was moved
around the longer it would have taken for the leg to heal.
Finally we took her out, and moved her into a regular sized cage
after 7 weeks. Surprisingly, she was in fairly good flesh
condition. She was getting around well on the healed leg,
despite the fact that the leg didn’t heal completely straight.
It turns out slightly away from her body, as though it is
twisted.
We have bred her to one of our bucks. She needed a little
assistance in lifting for buck during mating, but did real well
with it. Soon she’ll be having her first litter. Yes, the broken
leg eliminated her chances of being shown. But it didn’t
eliminate her value to our rabbitry.
Ear Infection In Dogs - Symptoms and Causes
Brian Kilcommons relates a terrible story about a beautiful golden retriever dog who was usually very gentle and kind with children. It’s owners had a girl aged 3 1/2, and they normally got along very well. Then one day the little girl grabbed the dog’s ear. It snarled and bit her face. She needed 47 stitches in her face, and they put the dog down. The parents had the dog euthanized without bothering to find out what had caused this sudden change in their dog’s behaviour. The vet, however, did an autopsy, and found our that this dog was suffering not one but two severe ear infections that were incredibly painful.
Ear infections usually start out mild, and in the outer ear. This dog’s health was effectively neglected by it’s owners. And when their toddler grabbed the infected ear, the dog, already in constant pain anyway, reacted out of instinct. By not taking the time to properly care for their pet, these owners were in fact responsible for what happened to their child. And then blamed the dog. And probably out of ignorance or anger, or both, they had it killed. Their emotional response to what happened to their child as a result of their own neglect aside, I find this absolutely reprehensible. And the tragedy that happened to their dog when they chose to kill it instead of investigating further, as well as their child, was totally avoidable.
Unlike these owners, show your dog the same level of care and love you’d show your children. Become aware of the signs of ear infections, what causes them, and how to avoid them, taking dogs to get treatment when it seems like they have one.
Ear infections can be caused by any number of things. Wet ears not dried after swimming or bathing, a build up of ear wax, grass seeds and fox tails, untreated ear mites, using cotton tips to clean ears (which pushes things further into the ear), and growths in the ear canal, can all lead to ear infections. If your dog is scratching at his ears, rubbing them, holding his head to one side, or down, shaking his head, or if they look bloody or waxy or swollen, they should be checked out. And if he cries when his ears are touched, this is another sign of a potential ear infection.
When untreated ear infections progress deeper into the ear, the pain the dog is in increases sharply. The dog may hold his head as still as possible, and to one side. And opening his mouth, or touching his head, will cause him pain. Dogs can also become dizzy, with poor balance and coordination, when the infection progresses to the inner ear. Dogs may walk around in circles, and vomit.
Ear infections are also related to skin allergies, especially food hypersensitivity dermatitis and canine atopy. Dogs with these conditions often develop inflamed ears. The dog’s ears become very itchy, which creates an ‘itch-scratch-itch’ cycle that in turn creates scabs around the ear, hair loss, crustiness, and raw skin. The ear canals become filled with a brown wax.
Some dogs are also allergic to some ear medications. A common one is an antibiotic called neomycin, but can be any ear treatment products including cortisone, nystatin, chloramphenicol, thiabendazole, gentamicin, miconazole, and clortrimazole.
One thing of concern in dogs that are professionally groomed is the practice of plucking the hairs out of the dog’s ear. The serum which then comes out of their pores is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, which is a common cause of ear infection. Vets generally don’t recommend you allow your dog’s ears to be plucked unless their is a good medical reason to do so. An example of a good medical reason is if there is a large mat of hair that is blocking air flow.
If the mats of hair are in the ear canal, they should be removed by a vet only. If they’re not, first soak the hair in a coat conditioner for a few minutes to soften it. Then, with your fingers, separate as much of the mat as possible. You may be able to untangle the rest of the mat with a comb, but more likely you’ll need scissors or a mat splitter. Be very careful if you’re using scissors. Using a comb, position it under the mat to protect the skin. Hold the scissors at right angles to the comb, and cut into the matted fur in narrow strips. Very gently, tease the mat out, and then comb out any snarls that are left. Regular grooming, with the right tools, will avoid mats forming in the first place.
Always check your dog’s ears after he’s been playing in long grasses. If you think there is a foxtail in his ear, take him to the vet’s and don’t try and get it out yourself. Fox tails can really damage the ear. If when you press gently on the ear canal he cries out in pain, there’s a good chance there’s a fox tail in there.
References:
1. Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson, Good Owners, Great Dogs
2. Richard Pitcairn, Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
3. James Griffin and Liisa Carlson, Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook
Learn more about dog health and dog care at The Dogs Bone. There are sections on training, puppies, and breed information. For more information on ear mites, check out this article here.
Why Links to Your Site Matter to the Search Engines (and
The number of other sites that link to your Web site is highly
important today to these major search engines: Alta Vista, Excite,
HotBot, InfoSeek, Lycos, and WebCrawler. If you have lots of sites
linking to yours, your site is considered ‘relevant’, significant
and deserving of a top 10-30 rank.
If you don’t have many links…
You’ve got to be concerned about this NOW. The Internet is
becoming increasingly competitive, and at the same time is
swelling in size. Search engines are continually refining the way
they determine top Web site positioning, but count on this:
Link relevancy - the number of sites linking to yours - will play
an increasingly important role. There are three key ways you can
generate links to your site:
1. Develop Your Content
If you make it worthwhile to link to your site, ‘they will come’.
According to Forrester Research, continually adding high-quality
content accounts for up to 75% of repeat visitors to your site.
Creating a resource area for people and encouraging them to link
to your site will generate a certain number of links back to you.
2. Be Proactive: Ask For Links
Find sites that reach the same audience you do, and ask each
individual Webmaster for a link. Obviously, this will work only if
you are not a direct competitor of theirs, AND you offer something
of genuine value which they don’t already have on their site.
Carefully tailor each request you make to the individual site, and
indicate on which page of the site you feel your link belongs.
Obviously, these two steps are very labor-intensive, painstaking
and will eat up considerable time, which is why the third way to
generate links to your site is an excellent (and quick!) option.
3. Get Involved NOW with a Good Link placement service.
There is no faster way to increase your link popularity and search
engine relevance then to get involved in a good link placement service.
But be careful: most of the free-for-all (FFA) pages will drop your
listing very quickly (often within hours). Rather than spending
endless time posting over and over to multiple FFA sites, choose
one that retains your listing and work it to your advantage.
Look for a link placement service that rapidly submits your site to
a large number of link pages, then retains your site for an extended
period of time. In this way you will increase your visibility for
the search engine spiders which will result in significantly
better positioning on the major search engines.
For many online businesses the link placement of choice is
Linkomatic, which has been in business for over two years and has
a proprietary network of 3500+ link sites. Because Linkomatic has
exclusive control of their network and does not allow outside
submissions, listings are retained on their pages for a much
longer period of time.
Businesses submit their site each week to the exclusive Linkomatic
network, and the result is better positioning with the major
search engines. To learn more about how this top link placement
works, visit http://www.linkomatic.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott T. Smith/@ MarketSTART
Rights belong to http://www.linkomatic.com
Please email us to request rights to republish this article.
There is no easier, faster or more effective way to increase
your link popularity, so check out http://www.linkomatic.com