Dogs and Separation Anxiety

Most canines hate to see their owners leave them. They would rather know their owners are nearby and able to address their needs (i.e. for food, attention, etc.) whenever necessary. In some cases, dogs will become extremely anxious when left alone or separated from their owners. This is known as separation anxiety (SA).

The behavior can manifest in various ways, which often makes it difficult to recognize. If the behavior is not properly identified, it cannot be shaped or modified. Sadly, separation anxiety is one of the most common reasons people abandon their canines.

Here, we’ll describe a number of signs that can allow you determine if your pooch is having trouble dealing with being left alone. We’ll also explore the reasons behind the behavior and provide a few tips for modifying it.

Identifying The Signs

Every dog is unique and the extent to which they suffer from SA will vary. Your pooch might become increasingly agitated the longer he is left alone. Once you leave him, he may begin pacing back and forth, drooling, barking, and even howling. If he grows more anxious, he might start chewing your furniture, or destroying things around your house. In severe cases, your dog might begin to urinate or defecate in your home.

There are a few telltale signs that imply your canine is becoming anxious when he is separated from you. For example, you might notice him following you around the house. That’s his way of making sure you’re still nearby. He may periodically check whether you’re home before returning to his toys or food. Another indication is that your pooch becomes frantic when you prepare to leave him.

What Triggers Separation Anxiety?

There are numerous reasons why a dog might become overly anxious when his owner is away. For instance, if he’s been mistreated by a previous owner, or has been adopted by numerous people, he may feel insecure in his position. That is, because he has been abandoned in the past, a canine might fear his owner will fail to return for him.

Separation anxiety can also manifest if your dog has never enjoyed interaction with other people. Left alone, he may become worried that he has lost your companionship.

Tips For Modifying The Behavior

It’s important to emphasize that what your pooch does as the result fo his anxiety is not meant to “get even” with your for leaving him. Don’t punish him. Instead, take positive steps to gradually shape his behavior.

For example, reward him with a treat when he is calm. If he shows too much excitement when you return home, say “relax” and provide a treat when he calms himself. You can also desensitize your canine to the routine you normally go through before leaving your house. For instance, put on your shoes a half hour before departing. You should also downplay your leaving; ignore your dog 10 to 20 minutes before departing.

The key thing to remember is that the signs associated with separation anxiety (i.e. barking, urinating, etc.) are not done in anger or aggression. Take a supportive, positive approach to slowly eliminate your canine’s concern.

How to Manage Your Dog’s Behavior Concerns

Understanding Your Dog’s Behavioral Problems

Dogs exhibit many behaviors that leave their owners scratching their heads in confusion. Whether it’s barking, digging, nipping, or a number of other annoying activities, canines do things that seem odd to us. However, by understanding why they do such things, owners can learn to modify such behaviors.

Below, we’ll discuss several behavioral problems that can frustrate owners, their guests, and their neighbors. Here we will explain some of the factors that lead to your dogs behavior issues and steps to correct them.

Chewing

Dogs chew for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they’re anxious. Other times – especially in the case of puppies – they chew because they’re teething. Still other times, they simply become bored or restless. They do it to work off excess energy.

If your canine limits her chewing to a chew toy, or Bully Sticks there’s little harm in it. However, if she doesn’t have a chew toy, your furniture, books, clothes, and other belongings will be vulnerable to damage. When you notice her chewing on things she should not be, sharply tell her. Take away (or remove her from) the item on which she’s chewing and give her a Odorless Bully Stick in its place.

Excessive Barking

First, it’s important to realize that your dog barks as a way of communicating. While it can become frustrating if she does so excessively, owners should understand that there may be a valid reason for the behavior.

That said, canines often bark excessively for a number of reasons that are inappropriate. For example, they may be bored or excited. There barking may be a result of other pets in the vicinity. At times it’s just an attention grabbing issue.

An effective way to discourage continual barking to to provide your pet with daily exercise. When bored, her pent-up energy can trigger the behavior. Also, avoid encouraging her barking by giving her attention when she does it. Instead, a loud clap will let your dog know they are doing something wrong.

Begging

Dogs love food, even if they’re not hungry. Given the opportunity, they’ll continue eating as long as someone gives them something to eat. The problem is that owners encourage begging each time they provide a taste from the dinner table. Remember, your pooch learns by repetition. When it comes to food, she learns quickly. If she receives something when she begs, she’ll naturally (and quickly) begin to believe that begging is appropriate.

You can discourage the begging behavior putting the dog into another part of the house during meal times.

The Value Of Obedience Classes

Most behavioral issues can be curbed by enrolling your dog into obedience classes. If you follow this course of action as a puppy, the training is more likely to be learned.” If you enroll her as an adult, the training will be effective, but she’ll probably need periodic classes as a reminder of what constitutes appropriate conduct. In the end, a well-trained, well-behaved dog makes a more pleasant companion.

Essential Training Tips For Your Rescued Dog

Training a dog takes patience and dedication. But you will need double the patience and dedication to train a rescued dog. It’s a lot of work, but in the end it will be worth the effort.

Spaying and neutering has been common practice for a few decades, unplanned births continue to occur. The result is that the number of puppies born far outnumber the number of available homes. When we add the number of dogs that get lost or wander away, rescue missions and shelters everywhere are filled to capacity. Many of these dogs will never find homes in time and be euthanized.

For a some lucky dogs, there is a second chance. Some will be adopted into the care of a loving family or rescued from the street. The new owners, however, are often not quite sure how best to deal with the rescued dog.

Dogs that are brought to shelters are generally not in the best condition. They often have a history of abuse or neglect and sometimes lived in horrendous conditions. And in some circumstances dogs are released into the wild to take care of themselves.

A dog’s nature is to be a pack animal. Because of this dogs that are in the wild usually do not do well in isolation. Domesticated dogs are used to human and animal interaction so do poorly when released to the wild. Wild dogs such as these are usually fearful and distrustful of humans, but with proper training they can learn to overcome these traits.

A rescued dog will need a full examination by a vet as the first step in the rehabilitation process. You will not be able to start training your new dog if he is sick or in pain. It’s crucial to give them enough time regain their health.

If possible try to get any information regarding the dog’s history. Knowledge of past abuse, general temperament, or medical history will help you as your train the dog.

Slow and steady is the order of the day when establishing trust with the dog. It is important not to force yourself on the dog. They will need to learn that they can trust you before they seek you out. A suggestion would be to work on trust with a treat. After placing some food on the floor you can back up a bit. Staring directly at the dog should be avoided at this point. When the dog takes the treat, praise him enthusiastically.

It is not uncommon for some rescue animals to initially seek out physical contact . Others may take a few days or weeks. Once established you can try to roll them onto their back and place your hand on the chest. Dogs that tend to be aggressive may resist but a passive, fearful dog may accept . Neither aggression nor fear is good. In normal training, you would force the aggressive dog to take on a passive role. This will not work with a rescued dog. Remember to take your time when establishing trust. In the fearful case, the rehabilitation will be easier and you can calm the dog by providing a belly rub and speaking softly so that he learns that being on his back does not mean punishment.

Be patient as it is often difficult and slow to train a rescued dog. The challenge often comes from their age, temperament and history. Hang in there. You will be rewarded in the end.

Don’t feel sorry for the dog. Training can be hindered by doing this. Be patient, loving and understanding but don’t let the dog have the run of the house. By letting the dog know that you are in charge you are establishing yourself as the pack leader.

Your rescued dog will reward you with unconditional love.

 

Stefan Hyross is a writer for All About Dogs ‘N Puppies. Correct common dog behavior problems and other issues. Feel free to visit the site for puppy potty training techniques and tips for you and your dog.

How To Look After Your New Dog Or Puppy

There is a lot work to looking after a dog or puppy and he or she will take up a lot of time, you must be prepared to clean up dog poo every day, until your dog is house trained, or when you take him for a walk.

Training a dog can be hard, especially if you aren’t used to dog training. Simple acts can produce the best and quickest results. You have to understand how a dog would live if he were living in a dog pack. There is always a leader of the pack the alpha male, and you will have to become the alpha, so your dog will know you are in charge and will obey and follow you.

Don’t let any of this put you off, a dog is a wonderful companion and will give you lots of love, with the added bonus if needed, of protecting you. Remember they need plenty of love, attention, and petting as well, so enjoy your best friend.

The following tips will help you look after your dog properly and have a good relationship

Dog problems

Dogs like to dig, they like to bury bones, not good if you are a keen gardener. Being social animals dogs tend to dig when they are lonely. Spending more time with him or her should help if this becomes a problem. Sometimes when they dig they eat the soil, this can be because they are lacking in vitamins and nutrients. Check you pet’s health with a vet and if there is nothing wrong, buy a good dog vitamin pill, and this should help keep that digging at bay.

Potty Training

The best way to deal with doggie potty trainig, is to reward your puppy when he or she gets it right. It is important that you never rub his nose in it when he has an accident or hit him, he will know from your face and tone of your voice that he has got it wrong. If the occasional whoopsie does happen, remember urine stains do wash out and it isn’t the end of the world.

Discover the answers to your dog health and dog problems

Bad Dogs

When a dog is termed as bad by the owner, usually it is they who are the cause. The feeling is very irritating when a dog jumps on you and puts paw prints over everything you’re wearing. The dog next door might also prefer to leave his calling cards on your front yard.

These are bad dogs? Perhaps, but they are only as bad as the kids next door who have never been given a good upbringing. What else other than bad behavior can you expect from animals and kids when the concerned adults have no idea what they are supposed to do? Sensible owners take the help of dog trainers who teaches them proper handling methods without breaking the natural spirit.

To get to know a good trainer approach your vet or pet store; these trainers often hold private lessons with the pet and the owner but it is just as easy to solve your pet behavior problem by attending any online course on pet management.

Part of this training is to teach the owner how to handle their pet. There is a saying amongst trainers however that it is far easier to train dogs than the people that own them! Dogs need to practice when they are taught to walk with leash when they are taken out and for this they need to walk around in a yard or any other area.

One of the behavioral traits is barking; however, this will often annoy almost anyone that can hear it. Shouting or punishing your pet for engaging in this normal communication is counterproductive – as well as confusing to the animal.

When a dog needs something to eat or drink, even to be played with, they will begin to bark. Completely suppressing a dog from barking will not help to prevent a burglar from trying to enter your property! Remember not to promote barking when he is a puppy and then get all worked up when he continues to bark even more as he gets bigger.

You could learn from your trainer how to reinforce certain behaviors in a puppy, which you desire, by giving them the occasional gift for being good. You could start rewarding and motivating your puppy so he will continue with the good behavior; most animals will normally stop doing things for which they get reprimanded.

Remember that you can not coach a dog to adapt to certain behaviors which are not part of his genetic make-up. The best option for getting certain specific behavior is to acquire your pet from a breed which displays those traits. When does a dog become good? Well, when you train them with patience, resolve and of course, a great deal of affection.

Helping You Become A Certified Dog Trainer

Pets Mart

Television can bring to light many different types of careers. One of these is being a certified dog trainer. This is an ideal career is a person loves to work around animals. It may not be a traditional job in an office but it is a career in which someone is doing what they love. The trainer is instrumental in teaching both the dog and owner how to bond and interact with each other. It is very satisfying to know that your knowledge and skill is being passed on to other dog lovers.

Becoming a certified dog trainer begins with a love of animals. It requires patience and a desire to interact with the animal. Dog obedience training takes knowledge and a compassionate nature in order for there to be success. Most people do not turn to a certified dog trainer until there is an obvious sign of dog aggression and then the battle begins. Dog training starts when the animal first comes home and continues throughout the life-time of the canine.

The training all begins with understanding the basic nature and structure of a dog. It is important to learn the different breeds in order to understand each dog’s particular traits and learning level. Some dog are more hyper than others and require a special sort of handling skills. The same goes for fetching or active breed lines that require special diets and more exercise.

Once the basics of dog behavior are down, then begin the specialized coursework designed to train a dog through a variety of methods. The instruction will teach how to use a variety of instruction in order to train the dog such as through a clicker or through positive reinforcement. Other steps include teaching safety to the owners as well as the dog. It is also important to learn how to deal with dogs that are more difficult to deal with due to a past history of violence or dog fighting.

Once the coursework is complete, the certified dog trainer is ready to begin. There are a variety of places to work such as pet supply stores, kennels or even opening up a business. One great example of a certified dog trainer is Cesar Millan who works with troubled dogs and their owners on his hit television show ‘The Dog Whisperer’ airing on cable.

If you find yourself longing for more freedom and becoming tired of simply punching a clock, consider a different line of work. There is always a need a certified dog trainer somewhere and you might find yourself looking forward to going into work each day.

Three Basic Rules of Dog Obedience Training

There are dog obedience training schools where dogs are trained to follow simple commands using three basic principles as the trainer’s guide.. Many dog training and dog behavior schools use these rules. These are:

Principle One: Consistency. You must be consistent in the use of words, the tone of your voice and your actions, that go with your command. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training- what you are trying to teach the dog and how to do it. A word or a phrase, let’s say ‘come’, does not make sense to a dog. Your dog does not understand our language, nor does he understand or think, the way we do.

So to make the training understandable, you should use the command in a very consistent manner such that the dog will learn to associate the word with the meaning you attach with it. For example, if you are using the command ‘come’, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a singular manner. If you are using this command make it a point that you would not do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog. If your dog does not come to you instantly, do not punish him when he does. This would make him attribute the command with the punishment.

What could you expect next?-If the command leads to punishment he will not follow it next time. The same command used, by all people, must be consistent. For example, if you are using the command ‘come’, other people in the household should not replace it with words like ‘here’ or ‘come here boy’.

Principle Two:The hours devoted to training and the words used as command should be kept short. Keep in mind that the attention span of dogs is very short that making them engrossed with a specific activity would be very hard, if not impossible. Combining children with your puppy obedience training is an example of keeping your training sessions short as they would lose interest very quickly.

Your dog simply does not posses the same amount of interest they had when they started the activity, they become easily bored. Training should be kept to ten to fifteen minutes and set at regular times.

Principle Three: Do not use force and punishment to hurt your dog when training. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for it or punish a dog for something he did. Don’t push the animal too hard while training.

The dog does not understand that he should learn things instantly and he does not realize that you are becoming impatient with the speed he is picking up the training. He only knows you are angry. Using force does not convey your meaning correctly whereas negative reinforcement does. If he knows that he is praised when he does something right, then he should not feel praised when he does not follow a command.

You have to be patient and understanding, especially during your dog obedience training sessions. The outcome will be a very responsive and well trained dog.

Problem Dogs Are Made, Not Born

The personality of the canine develops most radically between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks. What the average family dog will eventually turn out to be is determined by the environment in which the puppy lives during that critical emotional time period.

When an eight-week-old puppy comes into his new home, he arrives with a mind that can be likened to a blank chalkboard. Whatever is written on that chalkboard will determine the personality and character of the puppy. Unfortunately, it is purely a lack of knowledge on the part of the dog owner that is responsible for what later turns out to be a “problem dog”.

Dogs are not born problem dogs. They are either allowed to become that way, or are made that way as a result of the puppy’s environment. The responsibility rests solely and squarely upon the shoulders of the person who owns the dog.

Most obedience classes will not accept a puppy for training unless it is six months or older. This is quite understandable since most trainers know that the average dog owner just doesn’t have the necessary patience to cope with puppy training. It is unfortunate, however, that by the time a dog reaches six months of age, he has already become a “problem dog”.

Obedience training may or may not help. In too many cases, it does not – not by that age.
Just last month a local standard Schnauzer was put to sleep upon the request of the owners. Every member of the family had been the recipient of at least one serious bite from the dog. The dog was only eight months old – still a puppy as far as dog trainers’ are concerned.

The first bite occurred when the puppy was just 12 weeks of age, its final bite at eight months of age. In between, the bites became progressively worse, yet not one single member of the family could bring themselves to properly discipline the dog. They “loved” their dog too much and thought it would be too mean to discipline the animal.

Mistaken kindness can be a bitter and unneeded cruelty. One must remember that when a dog is placed in a dog catcher’s truck and taken to the pound to be murdered, the blood is on the soul of the dog owner, who thought so little of his pet that he failed to demand respect, and therefore keep his pet under control.

It’s Only Natural
The natural instinct of the canine is to try to assume dominance within the pack. The pack in this case is you and your family. The fact that he will test you periodically and try to assume control does not mean that he doesn’t love you.

Neither does it mean that he doesn’t respect you. However, if you are permissive and weak, thus allowing him to achieve dominance, his love and respect for you will quickly wane. You then become inferior in his eyes and are destined to be “owned” by your dog.