Vet Judy

Tillage is basically a depth and particle size concept going from the deepest to the shallowest penetration and from the largest particles to the smallest.

What tillage does is basically break soil into finer and finer particles in preparation for seeding.

The suprising thing is not all soils or plots even need tillage to get your food plot started. And there are some disadvantages to tilling the ground. For example. turning the soil over or disturbing the soil exposes new weeds and dormant seeds. These can then become strong competitors for your recently planted deer food plot.

So the best advice is only go as deep as you need to in the tillage action. How do you decide what you need to do and how deep you need to go. Consider the following:

1. What you are going to plant? Small seed or large seed? Deep roots or shallow roots?

2. What is the depth of the healthy soil in your plot? Do you have only an inch or two of surface dirt before you hit sand or clay?

3. Potential Moisture issues. Are you in a notoriously dry area, or is rainfall practically the enemy?

4. New site or a site that has already been used or prepared.

5. How much money can you or are you willing to invest? How big the plot is and what is available to you in terms of tilling options for behind your truck, atv, or hand tilling.

Keep posted and I will continue the saga of Tillage in days to come. I will even have some hints for those people with no cash, no land, no plot…..that is the no tillage, no plot, natural resource plotting concepts applied to the great outdoors in hard to reach, out of the way, no one knows it is there kind of places.

There are several types of dog crates to choose from. It all depends on what you need the crate for and how big your dog is. There are a few things that you must keep in mind while shopping for a new crate for your dog. Are you traveling and how? How big is your dog? Is your dog scared of people? Does your dog like to bark a lot? What can you fit in your budget?

There are crates that are more like fence material. There is also plastic that you may want to choose from. There are some that you would have the convenience of collapsing and storing easily.

Remember that puppies grow. So if you invest in a small crate or kennel for your small boxer puppy, keep in mind the cost of the crate and the fact that the puppy will get bigger. Are you willing to invest in something that he will outgrow in a couple months?

Is this something that you are wanting your puppy to stay in during the day while you are at work? Keep in mind that if it is enclosed, your puppy may be uncomfortable and scared. Perhaps a larger fence like crate may be in his best interest. That way he has room to roam a little. It is an open crate to where he can see things around him. Also there is plenty of room for him to grow.

There may be times when you need to travel on an airplane and need to bring your pet with you. In this case, you may consider a light plastic crate because it is easier to carry and it is enclosed to where other animals won’t cause him to bark or he won’t get nervous. Not to mention you want one that he can just fit in and be secure. There are certain requirements for traveling on an airplane with dogs as well. Be sure to check with the airline to see about their guidelines and rules.

If you plan to use a crate on a regular basis, the best thing to do is to make sure that he starts out using it as soon as possible so that he can get use to it. For instance, if he needs to be puppysat, it is best that he gets use to the crate because as he travels to other places and sees other people in a strange environment, he would be familiar with the surroundings within his crate.

It would be (to him) a lot like home. It would provide him with the security that he would need so that he feels much more content. A lot of people would want to use a crate for the purpose of keeping him contained at night. In this case the crate is his ‘bed’. It should be a place where he is comfortable and secure. It is not recommended to use it for punishment and security, because that would be two separate purposes and may even confuse the puppy.

When shopping for a crate, keep in mind whether or not you would want plastic or metal. Some puppies like to chew a lot and that can even be the case as they get older. In this case the best type of crate would most likely be a metal crate versus the plastic type. When this happens, be sure to include non destructable toys. Not to mention they can be very lonely and bored all day in a little confinement. Eventually they will get use to it but it is still good to make sure that they are as comfortable as possible.

Some dogs have separation anxiety, if your pet has this problem consider purchasing the largest crate you can reasonably afford. The reason being is so that they have some space to move. Definitely start them out as soon as possible so that it becomes part of their everyday routine.

Another good thing to remember is that dogs that are being house broken may have a hard time being broken. Therefore, you may want to put them in a crate. Dogs are less prone to pottying in their bed area. They are less likely to dirty it up and will wait as long as possible before pottying. With that said, crates are good for house breaking dogs.

You may consider a large crate and in this case it is best to get one that is collapsible so that you can store it when you are through with it. They have some that are stainless steel so that they will last a long time. Then for moving and traveling or for your smaller dogs. The choice is up to you so keep all of these tips in mind. There are many benefits for you, your dog and even your home, in using a crate. You can find them in pet stores and even online.

Be sure to visit our cheap pet supply store for your dog training supply.