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Showing posts with the label behavior

Puppy Biting 101

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You just brought home a bundle of fuzziness that slept all day, but now this furball is running around, nipping, jumping and biting. OUCH! As a human, our first reaction is to think that this puppy is naughty and going to become an aggressive dog if we don't do something....and fast! Although, yes, biting needs to be dealt with, it does not necessarily mean you have a "bad apple". It means your puppy is in fact a canine. Puppies bite for a number of reasons: They could be teething and the biting action is relieving the itchiness of their teeth coming in. They are also learning how to play. If you watch puppies at a young age play in a pack, they bite. As they get older and their litter mates teach them that biting hurts through a yelp or cry, a puppy soon learns to be gentle. Puppies will also bite to get your attention, and it works! On the flip side, a puppy may bite if they are sick, hurt or just not socialized correctly. It is extremely important to pay attention t...

5 Ways Your Are Ruining Your Dog

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I've already written about 8 Things That Drive Your Dog Crazy , Top Ten Rules For Children Around Dogs and Why Socializing Your Dog With Other Dogs is Important . All of these are important topics to raising a well-rounded, balanced dog. But, one topic I have yet to write about are human behaviors that are downright ruining the dog. There are many of these behaviors, but I will just focus on the five most prevalent: Yelling at an aggressive / barking dog : This just doesn't work, because your dog doesn't speak human. Dogs that are barking excitedly or fearfully are stressed out. When you yell at them while they are barking, you are just adding to the stress which ultimately leads to more barking. They basically think, "Oh, hey! Now I have my human barking too! Yes!" A better idea is to distract your dog from whatever is causing the barking with their favorite game. OR, even better, teach your dog how to bark on command. I know this seems counter intuitive, ...