Off the Leash; Letting Your Dog Exercise Without the Leash

It is nearly every dog owners dream to let their dog run freely without being tied down, fenced in or stuck on a leash next to their owner. All dogs love to run, and most dogs need it to really burn off their pint up energy. All of that energy builds and builds until it is expressed in behavioral problems like destructive chewing or excessive barking. Running freely can bring a dog great joy and make him a tired, yet calm and relaxed pet at home. However, few of today’s pet dogs can safely enjoy a good off-leash run or play session simply due to a lack of training. You and your dog must be prepared and always on guard during such a risky endeavor.

Reliable Recall

No dog should ever go off leash, even in a fenced area without a solid recall. Recall is the command in which you call your dog to come to you and he does at the drop of hat. Any dog should be able to immediately stop anything he’s doing, whether it’s in mid run to catch a ball or rolling in dirt to come to you when you ask him to. This is a major safety net that any dog should be able to do, but very few actually have been trained to do.

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What is Clicker Training?

If you’re new to dogs, or even a seasoned pet owner you will hear about the wonders of clicker training from various sources. Your neighbors, friends, co-workers, groomer and even veterinarian may recommend it, mention it, or talk openly about it. Confusion abounds in the dog world when it comes to clicker training, so how will you know exactly what it is and how it can help you? This method of training is incredibly simple, anyone can become great at it, and it’s a scientifically proven method of communicating with and teaching your canine companion!

Based on Science

Ivan Pavlov is a popular name used commonly amongst animal trainers. He was a scientist that brought learning, teaching, and conditioning into the scientific community and made understanding animal training far easier for the everyday animal lover. Through his experiments with dogs, he was able to discover that animals can make automatic associations between one unrelated thing, such as the sound of a bell, to the positive outcome of a bite of food. These are known as Pavlov’s dogs, and he proved that a dog could become ready and expectant of a bite of food from the sound of a bell, simply through operant conditioning.

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When Dogs Fight; Keeping Peace in a Multi-Dog Household

If you scroll through the local classifieds you may come across more than one dog looking for a new home because it’s not getting along with another in the same home. Dogs at the local shelter are, often times, labeled as aggressive towards other canines and must go to a home in which he will be the only pet. This belief of dogs being aggressive to one another due to things like jealousy, territory, or plain dominance are usually human-caused.

For example, that dog in the shelter who barks and growls at every other dog he sees when walking past the other kennels most likely is a very friendly and outgoing dog. By nature, dogs are extremely social animals especially with others of their own species. But that one dog may be labeled as too aggressive to live with another canine in his new home. Not only does that make it more difficult to find that one particular dog a home, his supposed aggressive towards other dogs may in fact be human caused. This means it can be solved through training and very basic canine care.

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5 Of The Best Dogs For City Living

Boston Terrier If you live in a city and you’re considering getting a four legged friend, you’ll want to know the best dogs for city living. Man’s best friend can adapt to any setting or surrounding but some breeds do better than others in the city – here are the top 5;

Chihuahua

This gorgeous, bulgy eyed cutie is ideal for inner city living and you’re unlikely to find a more loyal companion. Chihuahuas are easy to carry around if you want to take them out with you and require minimal grooming with short haired versions only requiring the occasional wipe or brush of their smooth coat. Best suited to an adult household with no children or larger pets, and they do need a little patience when it comes to house training – something to consider if you live in an apartment.

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Spaying or Neutering Your Pet: Whens, Ifs, and Whys

In today’s modern society, it is politically and socially correct to alter any and all healthy pets for the belief of ending pet overpopulation. However, as more studies and statistics have made themselves known from the no kill movement and shelter reform, we are learning that altering all pets has had very little, if any, impact of the shelter pet population as a whole. Furthermore, other benefits are explained to pet owners of the surgical procedure including a calmer pet with fewer health concerns. Some are true, but others are simply as false as old wives tales. Spaying or neutering your dog is just as much of a personal decision as your own diet, and it is up to you to understand the benefits and risks associated with this life altering surgery before you place your pet under the knife.

Debunking Beliefs

It is believed that altering your pet can reduce any aggression, marking behavior in males, and reduce activity levels. While it is true that your pet may slightly reduce his activity level due to the dramatic loss of hormones in his body, the belief that aggression and marking behaviors are only for intact animals is flat out false. Marking is a deep, instinct driven behavior that even female dogs do, and their reproductive organs play very little part in it.

Aggression, on the other hand, seems to take another turn when it comes to altering a pet. Studies in the past have shown that altered males are more likely to instigate a dispute than intact males, and especially when an altered male meets an intact male. Altered dogs feel threatened by the hormone levels of the intact male, and sometimes are the first to attack or make any aggressive moves. Females, however, are more accepting of each other and other dogs when they are spayed. An intact female may be more territorial as she feels the need to protect her whelping area, even if she has never been bred.

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Fear and Aggression in Dogs; What’s the Difference?

Typically when you think of aggression you may picture a certain breed of dog, standing on his toes with his teeth bared, growling, barking and lunging towards a human or another animal. While these are all signs of a dog’s body language that he should not be messed with at that point, it does not always point in the direction of true canine aggression. In fact, true aggression is an incredibly rare thing among dogs, while the large majority of dogs who are labeled as dangerous or aggressive are simply acting out in the only way they know as a defensive measure. This is a fear response, and can stem from things such as a lack of, or improper socialization to a past of abuse and pain. Most of these dogs do not trust, or do not trust easily. Respect must be taken to help these dogs through their aggressive actions to help them become relaxed, safe canine companions.

It’s In The Context

Judging and examining the context of any dog’s behavior is essential to figuring out the cause so that you can begin fixing the situation. Dogs are not randomly aggressive, nor do they attack unprovoked. When dog bites happen and humans claimed the dog was unpredictable, it’s typically a case of the human not reading the dog’s body language and context of the situation. For example, a dog bites a child during play, and the adult claims the dog was vicious. What probably happened was that the child was playing with a dog who was either in pain, sick, or wanted to be left alone for one reason or another. The dog gave his signals, such as yawning, averting his gaze, showing the whites of his eyes called whale eye, and maybe even growling. When these are ignored, the dog feels threatened and takes action to protect himself, biting the child. This could have been fear of being hurt by the child, or maybe the child was too loud, too fast and rambunctious for the dog. It’s all in the context of the situation.

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Tips For Housebreaking & Crate Training Your Dog

Whether you are bringing home a new puppy, adult dog or need help with poor potty habits from your current pooch, housebreaking and crate training go hand in hand in developing reliable, life long correct elimination routines. Even if you have no intentions of using a crate, or don’t know how to, prevention, consistency and a schedule are the things that teach your dog the proper place and time to eliminate. Crating is simply a tool that helps you, the owner, prevent your dog from going potty in places he shouldn’t so that you can control when he does go in the places he should. If he’s not going potty where she shouldn’t, then that leaves more room for success and rewards when he does the right thing!

Getting Comfy in the Crate

Before you can even begin to use the crate, you must first introduce it to your canine companion and help him associate it with safety, comfort and other positive emotions. This is done by first providing a blanket or soft bed inside along with a safe chew toy or two. Then, with a handful of high value treats, toss one directly in front of the open door. Every time your pup goes toward the treat to get it, mark the behavior either with your clicker or with a quick “Yep!” and let him eat the treat. After a few times of doing this, toss the treat on the inside of the crate door. He should only need to poke his head inside to get the treat. As he does, mark the behavior again as he reaches to grab the tasty morsel. Only move ahead if your dog is comfortable with the current task, and toss the treat halfway into the crate so that he must put his front paws in to reach it. Eventually, you will be able to toss it all the way into the crate so he must put his whole body in for the reward. Only then can you work on closing the door.

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How To Raise Your Puppy Right

Giving your new puppy the best start in his new home and family is a sure fire way to set him up to succeed as a happy and well adjusted dog in the future. It may be surprising that an incredibly large number of dogs that are surrendered to shelters and rescues are due to behavioral problems that could have easily been prevented with a strong foundation of early training, socialization, and helping the puppy to develop into a trustworthy and reliable companion. Raise your puppy right and you’ll be amazed at the lifelong bond and trust the two of you will have together.

Punishment-Free Zone!

Your home should be a safe and comfortable place for puppy to reside. He should be free from fear and pain, and this means no punishment! Instead of getting angry at your puppy for chewing up your shoes or eliminating on the carpet, it is time for you to do some learning on how dogs learn! Puppies are especially sensitive and punishing them not only teaches them to fear you, but it teaches them to not trust you as well. Dogs do not learn the same way humans do, nor do they understand human language. It is up to us to show them what we do want them to do, what is expected of them, and to reward for these wanted behaviors and prevent the unwanted behaviors.

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The Importance of Socialization For Your Dog

You will hear this often, from the rescue, breeder or shelter, your kennel club or dog obedience instructor and even the vet – you must socialize your dog! Even though the most important and dire time to socialize a canine is during his two fear periods in puppyhood, a dog continues to learn about the world around him throughout his entire life. This means even adult dogs can be socialized, but it will take more time, effort, and empathy on your part to help him past his fears, reactive behaviors, and any other issues you may see in him due to lack of socialization.

What Does Socialization Do?

Socialization is more than just helping a dog learn to be friendly around other people and dogs. It is far more than learning to communicate with other canines so that he can be safe at the dog park or play with your neighbor’s pets and kids. Socialization helps your dog become comfortable and learn the proper way to react, or not react, so certain situations, environments, and even objects. Everything from ground and floor textures to common household items such as baseball caps and umbrellas are all a part of the socialization schedule all dogs should go through during puppy hood.

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How To Gain Trust With Your Rescued Dog

Rescued dogs all come with their own baggage. It could be that they are happy go lucky, well trained dogs that just need a home and family of their own. However, they also could carry with them a haunting past of fear and neglect. Perhaps some have never even had a kind human hand and grew up as a stray until they found themselves at the shelter, sitting in a kennel surrounded by other barking dogs. This entire process, no matter where they came from or their background, is traumatic for all dogs. Some deal with it and cope well, bouncing right back to their old selves once they’re in a home. Others may take more time, a special person and training to break them out of their shell. Gaining trust is the very first step with any rescued dog to help him feel secure in his new life with you.

The Fearful Dog

Some rescued dogs will be fearful and very reluctant to accept anything from their new guardian. They may hesitate to take a treat, or ignore you completely. Dogs like this may seem difficult or uninterested, but in reality they just don’t know how to react to you or what you want from them. Begin training immediately, even if they don’t seem to want to give you any attention or take a reward from you.

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