Working out how to stop your dog from barking can be a difficult and time consuming task.
Dogs love to bark. It's a perfectly natural thing for your dog to do, just as its normal for us humans to speak.
It's when our dogs bark excessively that it becomes a problem for all concerned - including our cranky neighbors.
Keep in mind that there are situations when we want our dogs to bark (and I guess there are also times when I like my chatty aunty to speak). The first step in modifying the behavior of an excessive barker is to determine the reason why the dog is barking in the first place. Once you've identified this cause or trigger, you can then plan the correct training solution.
One of the biggest mistakes us dog owners make is to inadvertently reward our dogs excessive barking. We actually encourage and reinforce the barking problem when we commit these three dog training sins:
"Never Reward Your Dog's Barking!"
1. Yell and scream at the dog - this just gives them the attention they were crying out for. Plus your dog will most probably just think you are joining in with them, adding to the excitement.
2. Let them inside. If your dog is barking his head off outside, then you let him in, this just rewards and therefore reinforces the barking. This also applies to dogs who bark to be released from a crate or bark to make you get up and prepare their dinner!
3. If your dog is barking and you react by giving him a comforting cuddle or a treat of some sort, you are definitely encouraging your dog to bark again. By doing this you are communicating to your dog that you are happy with him. You should be making it clear that his excessive barking is inappropriate and won't be tolerated.
The most important piece of advice to remember when trying to modify any dog behavior problem is that you must clearly communicate to your dog what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
Dog Coprophagia is one dog problem that us dog owners hate. To us it's a filthy habit that just doesn't make any sense. I mean why would our much loved pets eat dog or cat poop when we are feeding them perfectly good meals?
Dog Coprophagia (eating feces) is most common in puppies up to a year old, but can occur at any stage throughout a dog's life. For such a wide spread problem there hasn't been much research conducted into how to stop our dogs from eating dog poop.
The good news though for us dog lovers is that there are many proven techniques or training methods we can call on to correct this habit.
If your puppy or older dog has taken a fancy to eating feces, read on...
An important thing to remember for all dog owners, who have a poop eating puppy, is to ensure that all dog vaccinations and worming treatments are up to date. The reason for this is that various diseases and internal parasites can be passed from dog to dog through coprophagia.
The techniques below have proven to be an effective way to stop dogs eating dog poop. You should try one method or combine a few until you break your dog's habit. Remember that unecessary punishment or getting angry with your dog does not work - for this or any other dog behavior problem.
Whichever method you try with your dog be sure to be consistent. You must enforce your strategy every time in order to stop dogs eating dog poop. The longer you let this habit establish itself, the harder it will be to break.
One last thing - most dogs do eventually grow out of their poop eating habit, just not fast enough for us owners!
Managing and controlling puppy biting problems can be a major challenge for us dog lovers. Puppy biting or nipping starts out as a bit of fun, but needs to be controlled quickly to avoid ongoing problems.
For most young puppies biting is a perfectly natural and essential phase they go through, especially when they are teething. Puppies love to sink their sharp little fangs into just about anything during this teething stage, including the hands and feet of their owners. In some cases it's like you've brought a snappy alligator into your home, instead of the cuddly little puppy you had hoped for.
Your goal to start with is to teach your puppy how to control the force of his/her biting. Your puppy's littermates will initiate this process and then it is up to you to continue on with it when your new puppy arrives home. This will ensure (not guarantee) that if your dog does bite someone in the future the damage will be minimized. When you have given your puppy sufficient feedback regarding the strength of his bite only then can you begin to reduce the prevalence of the biting behavior.
1. If you catch the biting problem early on it may be easy to rectify. Just try to redirect the biting from your flesh to a toy or chew bone. For very young puppies this method is often all you'll need do.
2. Make your puppy think he is hurting you each time he has a nip at you. This method replicates the way dogs sort out this biting amongst themselves. When puppies are biting and nipping each other it only stops when one puppy lets out a yelp. We can use this natural way dogs learn by letting out an Ouch! or an Arrr! every time one of our puppy's bite. The trick is to startle your dog with your voice, and then pull away and stop playing with your puppy for a while.
3. In bad biting cases as soon as your puppy latches onto your hand say "No!" and quickly put your thumb inside his mouth under his tongue, and your other finger under his chin. Hold it there for about 10 seconds (not too tightly). This will feel uncomfortable to your puppy plus he won't be able to bite you.
Dogs jumping up on people is at best an embarrassing, annoying habit and at worst a danger for all involved.
What starts out as a cute habit in young puppies often escalates into a big problem that can be very difficult to correct. If you can't stand your much loved dog jumping on you, just imagine what visitors to your home must think?
Your dog jumps all over you every time you come home, on visitors to your home or just when you've put on freshly cleaned and ironed pants!
Why Do Our Dogs Jump Up On People?
1. Excitement, they're just showing you that they are happy to see you.
2. Your dog could be seeking your attention and has been rewarded with it by jumping up in the past.
3. To assert dominance over you or guests. This is a rare one but can happen. Always keep in mind that your dog doesn't understand that the jumping up behavior is "inappropriate". It's up to you to clearly communicate this to your dog.
Depending on what stage you're at with the jumping up problem, you should find one of these training techniques will do the trick. In most cases you will see some positive results in a matter of days.
When your dog has settled down and stops jumping, you then initiate some contact with him. Get down to his level and lavish him with praise and a nice scratch behind the ear. If you are consistent and persistent with this method, your dog will soon learn that staying on all four legs is a much better alternative!
The good thing about jumping up problems in dogs is that they are usually an easy fix. As long as you are determined to correct the problem and follow the above training techniques consistently you should be on the right track.
So you've got a whinging, whiny little puppy or older dog - it's got to be one of the most annoying and frustrating sounds of all doesn't it?
Firstly I should say that this whining is a perfectly natural behavior for a young puppy - it is how they get attention from their mother from a very early age. It's when the whining or crying drags on and on and becomes a long term persistent habit that it becomes a problem for us dog lovers.
The best solution to this whining, screaming or whinging behavior is to tackle it immediately, ideally before it establishes itself as an ingrained habit - try to nip it in the bud as they say. Always be fair, understanding and reasonable with a young puppy. Never forget that your puppy is a sociable little creature who hates to be left isolated and alone.
There are many measures you can put into place right now to help quieten your whiny little beast down. We'll start out with some general tips and then get a little more specific further down the page.
Some of the more common reasons our dog's whine:
Whining in a dog crate is a very common behavior.
Put these ingredients in place and you will eliminate many of the reasons why your puppy may be whining.
As with most behavioral problems obedience training is the key.
One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the tight bond we experience and encourage with our dogs. However, if your dog becomes too reliant or dependent on you, dog separation anxiety can occur when you and your dog are apart.
Separation anxiety in dogs is an enormous problem for around 10% of all puppies and older dogs. Somewhat ironically, problems related to separation anxiety are the major cause for dogs ending up in animal shelters. I wish I could say canine separation anxiety is an easy fixed, but in many cases it is a very difficult problem to overcome.
Look At It From Your Dog's Perspective
To your dog you are the most important thing in his/her world. Dogs are pack animals who are very sociable creatures and thrive on company for many reasons. Your dog would spend every bit of his life with you if he could. So it's only natural that when you go out, your dog experiences varying degrees of distress or anxiety. He becomes confused, doesn't know where you are going, why he can't be with you and if you will be coming back to him. When the two of you are separated all he wants is to be reunited with his pack - which is you.
Punishment is NEVER the answer to solving Separation Anxiety in dogs!