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When dogs encounter a stressful situation, such as having company over, they get wild. From a dog’s point of view, these are either “intruders” or friends that cam to play. Eventually, by following your body language, dogs will calm down when new people come over. But for that 30 minutes or so, it can be embarrassing, irritating and sometimes dangerous. Another reason these type of “chill pills” are used is for separation anxiety if your dog chews on everything when you leave the house. What can be done? The first thing to emphasize is that no kind of human prescription drug should be given to a dog without a vet’s assurance that it is safe. Further, no vet worth her degree will prescribe a tranquilizer for day-to-day events like having company. They are too strong and risky. The good news is there are several products on the market than can...
Continue reading » Behavior, Dog ProductsNo Comment People love their dogs no matter what they may do or how they may behave. The issue usually arises when other people are involved. Either you do not want to scare your friends and guests, or you do not want a lawsuit to ensue because your dog jumped on and knocked over that little old lady. So, what can you do? There is a solution. One caveat; this solution takes consistency, something that can be very difficult to generate in our modern lives. The advice to you here is, even if you fall off the horse, get back up. Even if you “forget” to train for several weeks, get back up. Dogs are amazing and they learn almost in spite of us. Here are some facts to help you win the battle of excited behavior with your dog. Establish a Routine: If you have kids, then you already know the...
Continue reading » Behavior, TrainingNo Comment Dogs are great, and we love them. But one difficult behavior to control is digging; especially if your dogs has separation anxiety and is left home alone during the day while you are at work or school. They key to controlling digging is to understand digging from your dog’s point of view. Why are they digging? It may be for entertainment (dogs get bored when left alone) or it may be because they are after a critter of some kind. Burrowing animals are irresistible for a dog. Stop them, and the digging will stop. Here are some ideas: Gopher Proof Your Yard: Burrowing animals, like gophers are very hard to kill. They are elusive and smart, making them even more irresistible for dogs. One way to stop digging is to make your yard inaccessible to these critters. The first thing is to scare the gophers away for a few days...
Continue reading » Behavior, TrainingNo Comment If you have ever come home to a completely destroyed house, a ripped-up couch, a table in shambles, clothing and shoes torn to pieces, you know what it’s like to have a dog with separation anxiety. While it might not always manifest in that extreme manner, dogs with separation anxiety are prone to destruction. Underlying Causes Dogs are just like wolves, they feel an inherent need to be with their pack. Unlike wolves, they are domesticated, and you have become their pack. Even if it is just you and Rover, he recognizes that you are the sole member of his group, and when you go away, it can be very stressful. Separation anxiety can develop the moment you first leave your dog home alone. It may also be a result of having been abandoned at a shelter (if you adopt a shelter dog), or a stressful boarding experience. Most notably,...
Continue reading » BehaviorNo Comment Barking dogs have become so synonymous with danger that owners will often get nervous just hearing their hound let off a yip. In reality, dogs bark for a myriad of reasons, only one of which being when they feel threatened. It is how they communicate, not only with each other, but also with you. For example, my dogs always bark when I get home from work. It is how they show excitement and recognition. Greeting Barking As with my dogs, many dogs will bark as a greeting. If you take your dog to a dog park, for example, you will see dogs barking at each other in a very non-threatening way. They are just saying hello and acknowledging one another. Dogs may bark when friends or strangers come up to the house (keep in mind that they cannot always immediately tell which is which), or even just in excitement seeing...
Continue reading » Behavior, PlanningNo Comment We’ve all seen it. We open the door and our dog is so excited that he jumps up, digging his claws into the clothes of your visitor. He jumps on you when you get home from work, come back from the store, or when he’s excited about a walk. It’s a show of enthusiasm, and this is usually why people have such a hard time training their dogs to stop jumping up on people. First, because we don’t want to discipline our puppies for doing something we find adorable, and second, because once they are fully grown, it is difficult to chastise them for being affectionate. They want to say hello and greet you like they would greet any member of the pack, by licking your face. And where is your face? Much higher than his face, so he has to jump to reach it. Whether your dog is small...
Continue reading » Behavior, TrainingNo Comment If you’ve ever come home from work and found the legs of your chairs and table torn to pieces, you know how frustrating it is to have a dog who chews. You leave him alone for an hour and when you return, he has destroyed three pairs of shoes. We love our dogs, but a dog with a chewing habit can be a menace. Some people will simply give up and drop their hound off at the nearest shelter, citing that he is just too troublesome to keep around the house. This isn’t fair to your dog, however, who probably doesn’t even understand that he’s doing something wrong. Whatever your dog chews on, from wooden furniture, to pillows, to clothes, to shoes, to your children’s toys, you can correct these behaviors once you understand the underlying cause and how to encourage your dog not to chew on your prize possession,...
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