Dog Obedience Training Blog
Category : Dog Barking
Socialization
courtesy of www.dogstardaily.com
You are probably aware of how important it is to socialize your puppy. Having good socialization skills will help your dog respond with acceptable and healthy behaviors when faced with situations that may be disturbing or disrupting to their normal routines.
Siblings and Roommates Don’t Count
posted by Cindy Bruckart, February 24th, 2010, dogstardaily.com
I’m often asking dog owners about their dog’s socialization history. Even if the dog owner tells me that their dog is “good with other dogs”, I have to ask more questions. Time and again, the dogs that their dog is good with include the siblings he played with at the breeder’s home, the dog he lives with and a relative’s dog. That’s it.
When I tell them that siblings and roommates don’t count, we get to the truth of the matter. The dog may be nearly a year old and have only met one or two other dogs, besides siblings and roommates. Now, I know that dog owners reading this might not see this as a big problem, as long as the dog was good with those dogs, we should be able to assume he’d be good with others, right? Wrong.
Behaviors to Encourage
We all want a dog that behaves well, don’t we? So, when you see your dog exhibiting a behavior that is a ‘good’ one, be sure that you reinforce that behavior. Read this article to find out one way to do that.
What dog behaviors should I encourage?
by Nicole S. Silvers, March 3, 2010, dogstardaily.com
Most owners know that they want their dogs to SIT, DOWN, STAY, COME, HEEL. When it comes to general behaviors, owners have little idea of what behaviors they even want to encourage, let alone how to accomplish the encouragement. By contrast, ask an owner what they are trying to stop, and there are multiple answers. Even the most mannerly dogs’ “rap sheets” tend to be read out when meeting other dog people.
Behavior Changes in an Older Dog
The effects of aging often bring on fears of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. But our aging dogs can display some behavior changes as well. Always contact your veterinarian to determine if these changes require medical attention, or whether they are just a normal part of your dog’s aging process.
Old dog behavior changes
by alexadry, hubpages.com
Senior dogs get Alzheimers too!
Owners of geriatric dogs often call their veterinarian office concerned about their dog’s recent behavior changes. They may report that their dog may wake up in the middle of the night and start howling. Others may report their very well house-trained dog gets up and has accidents around the house or wakes up to drink and then shortly after urinates on the carpet.
I know about these instances as I have personally often taken these calls.
I recall particularly, an owner one day calling concerned about her dog because he started wandering around the home at night bumping into furniture and hardly recognizing her. He would then sleep for most of the day undisturbed. The owner was unable to sleep properly and was very concerned by this recent worrisome behavior. Afterward, the dog also changed behavior, from an outgoing dog he became an overly submissive and timid fellow. Read the rest of this entry »
Tunes for your Dog
courtesy of www.dogblog.dogster.com
They say “Music soothes the savage beast.” Yes, I realize that is a misquote; it is actually “Music hath powers to soothe the savage breast.” However, I believe in this case, we’ll go with the first one. Now, perhaps you don’t consider your sweet little pooch to be savage, but then again…
Dogster Exclusive Interview: Calming Dog Musician, Lisa Spector
by Maria Goodavage
Dogster’s for the love of the dog blog
We’ve got another terrific interview for you this week, with Lisa Spector, concert pianist and graduate of The Juilliard School.
“But this is DOGster, not MUSICster,” you might say. True. Fortunately for us, Lisa has a foot in both camps.
Lisa is co-founder of BioAcoustic Research & Development, where she presided over the groundbreaking music and canine research conducted with 150 dogs. She is the pianist on the Through a Dog’s Ear music series. If you have a dog who could use a little calming at home or in the car, these CDs are for you.
Taking Your Dog on Field Trips
A lot of people are feeling the effects of “cabin fever” this winter with all of the snow we’ve had, so imagine how good it feels to finally get out and see new sites, other people, and generally just stimulate our minds with new adventures. Well, your dog needs new adventures once in awhile, as well. Read this article explaining why it is important to take your dog on field trips.
Field Trips: why it’s important to get your dog out of the house
by Rachael Pan, February 6, 2010
Examiner.com
Dogs are highly intelligent creatures and as such, can quickly and easily become bored. Stimulation—both physical and mental—is very important to the overall health and well-being of your dog. Taking your dog on a “Field Trip” is a great way to give him some extra stimulation.
Devocalization of Dogs
Do you know the laws in your State regarding devocalization of dogs? If not, you might want to read this article. It seems like such an inhumane and unnecessary step, and can lead to other physical and emotional problems.
Stop the devocalization of dogs in your state
by Stephanie Modkins, February 1, 2010
Dogs Examiner
Did you know that some breeders and canine owners devocalize their dogs in order to reduce the sound of their barks? Sound strange? Seem barbaric? Well, it is. For this reason, passing a bill in your state that sets parameters for this type of sugary is a must. Read the rest of this entry »
Holiday Entertaining and Your Dog
Many of us will be entertaining during the holidays with family and friends. And, let’s face it, not everyone loves our dogs like we do, and the fact is, many dogs are not as well-trained as we’d like them to be when it comes to interacting with company. Here’s an article with some great tips on how to make entertaining a more pleasant experience for both you and your dog.
The Life of the Party: Holiday Entertaining Success for Dog Owners
by Casey Lomonaco KPA CTP
Can your dog REALLY tell if he's in trouble?
Does a dog really know if he’s in trouble? And what does that really mean?
Just because your dog tucks his tail and runs, does that mean he knows he’s been bad, or is it something else, behavior specialists call an avoidance response?
For an interesting perspective on this question check out this article:
Do dogs know when they’ve done something naughty?
You might realize that if your dog is consistently “misbehaving” and you think he’s doing it on purpose… that you have a much bigger problem on your hands.
This is often a sign that you are not communicating clearly with your dog in a way he understands, and that you probably are effectively listening to what he wants either.
This is a common problem with people who try to stop dog barking.
Their dog’s will tuck tale and run when their owners yell at them over a long period of time. This causes the dog to fear the owner, and doesn’t necessarily mean the dog knows what he did was bad.
And it certainly doesn’t even begin to address the owners complete lack of understanding the underlying issue of what’s really causing the dog’s barking in the first place.
Take this as a reminder to always try to get at the root ‘emotional’ cause of your dog’s problem if you want to have the most success.
How To Stop Dog from Barking At Washing Machine
For any of you struggling with how to stop dog barking, especially dog’s who bark at certain types of noise, I thought this video would be helpful:
What I really like about this video is when the trainer talks about how we need to realize that the reason our dog’s are barking is to communicate an underlying emotion.
Traditional training techniques seek to PUNISH the communication, where newer training strategies like the one being used by the trainer in this video, attempt to change the emotional reaction that causes the annoing communication.
So the next time you find yourself wanting to punish your dog’s communication, try to think about what the underlying emotion of that behavior is.
Treat your dog’s emotions like personal workout trainers approach working with a new client who’s never been in a gym and who’s bodies aren’t in the physical condition to go all out right away.
Our dog’s emotions are a LOT like a person’s muscles who’ve never been to the gym… they need to practice on some easy weights before they’re ready for the big stuff.
I thought this video expressed that perfectly, which is why I wanted to share it with you.
Please leave me any questions if you have them!
Retraining Manic Alert Barking
Today I thought I’d share a great article on Retraining Manic Alert Barking.
In this article, Debi Davis really lays out some interesting points about why using suppressive or punishment techniques don’t work to stop dog barking.
She believes that when you are dealing with a dog who just ‘locks on’ to a person or thing and continues to bark at it, that adding more emotion to the situation actually reinforces it…. positive or negative.
To put it in my own words, and forgive me Debi if this is NOT what you mean, but it’s almost like the thing that causes a dog to Manic bark is the amount of “heightened emotions”… or in her words “stress”.
Because stress can be both positive and negative, a dog who get’s ‘positively’ stressed when he sees a person walk by the car he’s in at the grocery store parking lot has more stress, then if he were in a state of rest… and if you then have an owner come in and reprimand the dog, what does that do?
It ads MORE stress.
Stress can become addicting, and trains the dog to continually expect, prepare and get ready for more and more stress, with each day the Manic Barking behavior is attempted to be stopped with training techniques that add more stress to the situation.
Debi’s article puts it more clearly then I can though, so I’ll just shut up and let you go read it. Here’s the link again:
