Leash Reactive Dogs Frequent dog walkers know leash reactive dogs even if they’ve never had a name for them: as soon as the harness or leash goes on, they go on red alert. From the squirrel in the yard twenty meters away to the mailman about to pass them on the sidewalk, leash reactive dogs will try to be confrontational with anything that moves. While the cause for leash reactivity are many and […]
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When Not to Feel Guilty for Training Management My bulldog, lovely bumble-foot that she is, loves chasing squirrels. Despite being an extremely polite walking partner, she cannot resist a good heart-stopping scramble for a small mammal that she has no idea what to do with. I say this because she has never once, in her fourteen years, caught a single squirrel. I have also never attempted to train her out of these last-minute
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Making Peace with Multiple Dogs No matter how many dog pileups are in your bed, how many wet-nosed kisses you get every day, or how many wagging tails can get going, any pet parent of multiple dogs can tell you that having multiples is no easy feat. From buying enough food for all the furry family members to breaking up disagreements, keeping the peace in an extra dog-friendly household is a full-time job. Here
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Resource Guarding: What It Looks Like and What to Do While food aggression or resource guarding has a reputation as a problem typical only in strays, the truth is this behavior can be found in any dog with any background. Guarding anything from food to their favorite bedding, dogs who growl, bark or hide their favorite items are guilty of this localized aggression. What resource guarding looks like, the reasoning behind it, and
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How to Deal with a Mouthy Puppy Part of bringing home a puppy is going through the house and moving everything you hold dear in life up out of their reach. When puppies start exploring the textural qualities and flavor profiles of everything, the real training begins. This innate desire for puppies to put everything in their mouths is similar to the same stage in human toddlerhood; exploring and experiencing new things through all
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5 Tips When Bringing Home Your New Dog Your first dog home is an exciting and memorable time for every pet owner. Meeting your new best friend, teaching them, playing with them, and watching their personality change as they grow are some of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. In hindsight, however, the process always seems much easier than it was. In order to have the smoothest transition from a no-pet house,
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The Importance of Puppy Socialization The most common training problems in adult dogs are, surprisingly, the result of poor socialization during their puppy months. Dogs that show aggression to other dogs, are afraid of wet grass, and those who don’t like nail clipping or baths, are all behaviors that could have been prevented with socialization. The question is, though, what is socialization, how can it prevent all these behaviors, and what is the best
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Dogs at Play Are Hard at Work You hear it all the time; socialize a new puppy to have a well-adjusted dog. But, what does that mean? Will puppies who grow up in social isolation turn into gremlins, or just the canine equivalent of teenagers who never leave the basement? Dog trainers tell owners to socialize their animals, but many people also need to understand what to look for during socialization, and how it
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Barking: Different Vocalization in Dogs Many first-time dog-owners are amazed at the range and expressiveness of dogs’ barks, growls and whimpers. Neighbors of dog-owners are even more amazed at the volume of dog vocalizations. With all dog noises, the most common question asked is; “What is that dog saying?” The truth is that, while dogs are very good at picking up on human cues, humans have been quite slow at picking up dog language.
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