5 Types Of Dog Aggression

Aggression in dogs can be a very serious problem that can create a tremendous amount of liability for you and your family. This article deals with five of the most common types of aggression however there are many more. If your dog has aggression and you would like help to resolve it you should contact a qualified trainer or behavior specialist for help. 

1. Dominance Aggression. Quite often this type of aggression is directed toward the owner. It can manifest itself when the owner tries to dominate the dog are while making it do something that it does not want to do. Some examples would be waking the dog or making it get off furniture or a bed. This is the type of aggression that happens in what I refer to as aggression in the home where the dog feels that it is the "Alpha". 

2. Fear Aggression is very common in the shy fearful dog. Actually the fearful dog is sometimes referred to as the most dangerous dog because you never know when fear will cause aggression to raise its ugly head with this type of dog. A rule to remember and to teach your children is to never try to approach a dog that appears fearful. Cornering a shy, fearful dog can be dangerous since it can't flee so it must fight. 

3. Territorial Aggression. We have all seen this dog before. You know the dog that is behind the fence that will not let you are anybody else through the gate. It is guarding its territory no matter where that is. This is the type of dog that is used to guard a business or property. 

4. Dog on Dog Aggression is another type of aggression that you just might see in the family dog. This could be the dog that was never socialized properly during the period of socialization that is from birth to 20 weeks of age. If you dog is not socialized with dogs during that period you just may end up with this type of aggression in your dog. 

5. Food Aggression is another type of aggression that you may encounter with your dog. The easiest way to avoid this type of aggression is to teach your puppy from the very beginning that the food is yours and you can give it or take it. Start working with your puppy from the very beginning and teaching it that you can put your hands in the food bowl, you can even take the bowl if you want. Do the same thing with treats and bones. If you will teach your pup from the beginning then this should not be a problem in the future. 

These are just some of the different types of aggression that you may see in your dog. Socializing your pup before 20 weeks of age will help with some and conditioning your dog to different situations will help with other types of aggression. 

If you have an adult dog and it develops aggression be sure and seek the help of a trainer or behavior specialist that is qualified to help with the problem. Trying to resolve aggression on your own can be very dangerous.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Types-Of-Dog-Aggression&id=8419400

How To Teach a Shy, Fearful, or Nervous Dog!

A video from Zak George on how to teach a shy, fearful or nervous dog. 

How To Help A Shy, Fearful Dog

Do you have a dog that is shy and fearful? You know the dog I am talking about. It will not approach new people and is very fearful in new situations and environments. I understand this type of problem and I also realize how concerned you are about the fact that your dog is suffering. Here are a few things you might want to try to help the situation.

Obedience Training

Yes the very first thing to do for a shy fearful dog is to do some obedience training. Training can give a shy dog a new level of confidence and a feeling of accomplishment. Since your dog is uneasy in strange places training should be done privately in your home where your dog is very comfortable. In this type of case group training is out of the question.

Limited Socialization

What I mean by limited socialization is to start taking your dog to new places. For example you might go to the parking lot of the local strip mall. Take your dog for a walk around the outer perimeter of the parking lot just to get it used to being in strange new places. As the days go on and the dog gets more and more comfortable in these new surroundings start moving in closer where you might walk in proximity to other people without actually coming into contact with them.

As the sessions continue you should get to a point where you can take your dog on the sidewalk outside of a store while people pass in and out of the stores. You should see your dog getting more and more comfortable as the sessions continue. Please keep in mind that this is a slow process. How slow, depends on your particular dog and the extent of the problem.

I always suggest that this limited socialization should be done 3 times a week and be sure to vary the location.

Thunder Jacket

Thunder Shirt

Something that may help a fearful dog is a Thunder Jacket. They are available at the big box pet stores as well as online. It is a fabric jacket or wrap that goes around your dog snuggly. The effect of a thunder jacket varies widely from dog to dog. Some dogs are immediately helped when wearing the jacket while others get no benefit at all. I always tell my clients to save the receipt and all the packaging so you can return it after you have given it a few day trial if it does not work for your dog.

D.A. P.

Dog Appeasing Pheromone

D.A.P. is a product that you may want to try to help your dog feel more comfortable in stressful situations. It is a pheromone that mimics the smell of a lactating mother dog and supposedly dogs never forget that smell and it relaxes them. It is available as a collar, a spray and also an atomizer that you plug in the wall. Most of my clients prefer the spray. They can use in on a neckerchief around the dogs neck or even on a pillow in the car or other location.

If you have a dog that suffers from shyness and fear give these tips a try. Do not expect instant success. It will take some time so be patient.

Dource:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Help-A-Shy,-Fearful-Dog&id=8419442

Is Your Dog Showing Aggression In The Home?

Aggression in the home has become an epidemic. What I mean by aggression in the home is where your dog has possibly bitten the kids, the adults and even the other dog in the house. Sometime it hasn't gone that far yet however the dog does growl at you when you try to get it off the couch or the bed.

Quite often the dog that is showing aggression in the home is great with strangers in or out of the home. The good thing about this problem is that about 95% of the time it can be fixed with some training and some behavior modification. The hardest thing is finding a trainer or behavior specialist that has experience solving this type of problem.

When we see this type of aggression it is because the dog has gotten to a point where it thinks it is the alpha in the home. It does not want to be corrected by somebody else in the pack that is not above it.

Almost every time that we see this problem we are dealing with an untrained dog. When we talk about a trained dog I am referring to obedience training. Obedience training is what establishes you the owner as the alpha in the home. Without obedience training the dog doesn't know who the alpha is so it assumes the position.

The obedience training exercises you will need to do include the sit, down, sit-stay, down-stay as well as the recall (come). You will also train your dog to walk nicely on a loose leash (heel) so it does not drag you down the street.

Along with the obedience training you will be doing some behavior modification. What type of behavior modification depends on your dog and the extent of the aggression problem.

Usually this problem will not appear until sometime between 12 and 24 months of age and will actually get worse as the dog gets older. The sooner the problem is corrected the better chances you have of correcting the problem. The longer your dog shows this aggression then it starts to be a learned response and is harder to correct.

If you have aggression in the home with your dog find a good trainer and/or behavior specialist in your area that has experience with this specific problem. Remember start the corrective action early before it is too late and before someone in your home is seriously injured.

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Use A Dog To Teach Your Child Responsibility

Has your child been begging for a puppy? Well before you say yes or no there are a few things you need to think about. Having a pet is a really good way to teach your child responsibility, however, is your child ready for responsibility?

Let's discuss the things you need to think about to help you make the decision.

Have you and your child thought about all the things that are required for raising a puppy or taking care of an adult dog? Let's go over a few those things right now.

Potty Training

If you're getting a puppy it will require being taken out several times a day probably even in the middle of the night while it is being potty trained. Who will be doing that, you or your child? If you don't have a fenced yard somebody will have to take the dog for his potty walks again the decision is who will be doing it.

Here's a big question that comes up quite often. If you do have a fenced in yard and are able to just let the dog go out into the back to do his business who will be cleaning up the poop? It needs to be done on a regular basis to keep your yard sanitary and to keep everybody from stepping in it.

Feeding

For a puppy feeding time comes three times a day and if this is going to be your child's dog certainly your child should be doing the feeding. Even though feeding a puppy is not a hard chore your child needs to realize that he or she will need to be home in order to take care of this responsibility. An older dog only needs to eat once or twice a day so it's much easier.

Exercise

Playing and exercising your dog is a large responsibility and something that your child should be doing with the dog. Dogs need to be walked on a daily basis or taken out in the backyard and allowed to retrieve a ball but no matter how you do it you need to spend a generous amount of time with your dog.

Training

Training your dog to be an obedient and faithful member of the family requires some work but it's definitely something that is a necessity. If you get a large breed dog they grow very rapidly so training should begin early when the dog is 16 weeks of age. Smaller dogs can wait to be trained a little bit later around six months of age. However it doesn't matter whether your dog is big or small training is something that is a must. There is nothing worse than a poorly behaved dog.

As you can see there are several different things to consider when getting a dog for your child. However allowing your child to have a dog is an excellent way to teach responsibility as you can see from the list there are many things that he or she will be responsible for. So now the decision is yours, however if you decide to allow them to have a dog make sure that they stick to their responsibilities.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Use-A-Dog-To-Teach-Your-Child-Responsibility&id=8419667

Walking 2 Dogs At The Same Time

Quite often I have clients with more than one dog who would like to walk them both at the same time. However I have found that walking two dogs at the same time can be an accident waiting to happen. In fact it can be very dangerous for not only you but for your dog as well and let me tell you why.

Now let me start off by saying if you have two well-trained dogs that walk nicely at your side and that don't go crazy when they see another dog or person come by then none of this may pertains to you.

Now that we've eliminated that 10% of dog owners that has multiple dogs that are that well behaved now let's talk to the other 90% of you out there.

Have you ever taken both dogs for a walk and here comes another person with their dog and your dogs are going crazy each of them tugging at the leash in different directions. You're having a hard time hanging on but hopefully you do.

Well over the years I've had many clients who had this experience before I met them that resulted in broken arms, broken hips and lacerations to their bodies when their dogs knocked him to the ground in a fit of frenzy.

I've also seen people who were not able to hold onto their dogs in one of these frenzies and their dogs have actually attacked other dogs. Of course when this happens you need to think about liability because if a dog or a person gets hurt you are going to be responsible financially for any damages.

So can you ever walk two dogs on the leash at the same time? Certainly you simply need to teach the dogs to walk on leash nicely. I have my clients start off by teaching each dog the heel command and having them ignore the distraction of other dogs and people so they are under control.

Once each dog is able to heel nicely you put them together. However instead of using two leashes you use one leash and a coupler. The coupler will allow you to use only one leash while being attached to each dog's collar and that gives you much better control of both dogs. Couplers are available in a chain, nylon or leather and are available at training supply stores on line and at the big box pet stores.

NoTangle Dog Leash Coupler

So for your safety, your dog's safety, the safety of other people walking their dogs, and the safety of your liability insurance train those dogs to heel nicely and take them for a walk safely.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Walking-2-Dogs-At-The-Same-Time&id=8419673

Some Golden Retriever Health Problems

Are you considering getting a Golden retriever puppy or possibly adopting an older Golden Retriever? Goldens are fantastic dogs. They train easily and are most definitely a very loyal companion. However, like any other breed, they do have some health issues that you should consider and watch for before purchasing your dog.

Some of the issues that Golden Retrievers can suffer from include:

Hip Dysplasia

Eye problems

Skin problems including hot spots

Ear infections

Lymphoma

Let's start off with hip dysplasia. Possibly you've heard about hip dysplasia before. It's where the bone and the socket of the hip do not line up the way they're supposed to. It can also be where the hip joint is very gnarly and rough and causes discomfort when the dog walks.

Dysplasia can be very serious and can cause a tremendous amount of pain for your dog. There are fixes for this problem from surgery for serious cases to medications for less serious cases.

The best way to avoid the problem is to buy a puppy whose parents were both OFA'd. OFA stands for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. X-rays are taken and sent to them for evaluation. Breeding parents should be rated excellent or good. If the breeders can not provide those certificates do not buy the pup. Doing so can cause heartbreak and a bunch of expense later.

Goldens can also suffer from some eye problems and again most good breeders will have their breeding dogs CERF'd. There is a certificate given for this also. The certificate shows that the dog has been checked by a doggy ophthalmologist to see that its eyes are clear of genetic eye diseases.

Skin problems can be a problem with some Goldens and it is possible that your dog will suffer from a hotspot at some point in its life. A hotspot is a condition sometimes referred to as moist dermatitis where the skin becomes inflamed and appears red and moist. Dogs have a tendency to lick this area and actually make it worse. A visit to your vet can get you a topical medication that will help correct the problem.

If you own a Golden you will probably at some point have a problem with ear infections. You will probably see your dog shaking its head or scratching its ears. If you don't take care of the problem early it can escalate to a more serious infection so be sure to see your vet at the first sign of an ear infection.

Lymphoma can affect any breed at any age however Golden Retrievers are very susceptible to this form of cancer. Lymphoma will appear as lumps and they can be anywhere on the dogs body however the armpits, groin area and the neck seem to be most common.. If you find a lump on your dog be sure to visit you vet promptly. Keep in mind that a lump does not mean your dog has cancer however a quick biopsy can determine if it is lymphoma.

I don't mean to alarm any body who is considering getting a Golden. Similar health problems exist in all breeds, so don't let this keep you from getting a Golden and enjoying all the fabulous qualities and happiness that this breed can bring into your home.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Some-Golden-Retriever-Health-Problems&id=8419418

Cross Breeding - Mating Dogs of Different Breeds

I am sure you are aware of all the crossbreeds that are available today including probably the most famous being the labradoodle and the Goldendoodle. At first glance the question is why? In most cases, it is to create a breed with some favorable characteristic with others who know why. Let's talk about a few of these mixed breed dogs and why they came about.

I want to start with what is probably the best known highbred the Labradoodle. I am sure that you already know it is a mix of a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle. Because of the poodle influence they can be large or small depending on what size poodle was used for the breeding. They are also in several different colors from yellow, black, brown and even party colored.

The breed was actually first developed by Australian dog breeder Wally Conron in an effort to help a client that had dog allergies. Allergies and people who are allergic to dogs is one of the top reasons people select a labradoodle. From what I understand to be hypoallergenic the dog must be a 3rd generation labradoodle.

The introduction of the Goldendoodle was inspired by the successes of the labradoodle. Breeders started breeding mini size golden doodles by using the smaller poodle and this appealed to many people that wanted a smaller dog. Breeders are determined to produce a non-shedding hypoallergenic dog that can be enjoyed by more people either as a small or larger dog.

The list of the cross bred designer dogs can go on and on but here are a few:

Puggle - Pugg and Beagle

Chiweenie - Chihuahua and Daschund

Maltipoo - Maltese and Poodle

Chorkie - Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier

Bugg - Pug and Boston Terrier

Wally Conron the Australian breeder who started the designer dog craze back in the late 1980's regrets the fact that he created what he calls a monster. Because of his efforts in breeding the first labradoodles he feels like breeders have gone crazy in their efforts to create more and more cross bred dogs.

Some designer dog breeders feel that they are doing a good job by breeding out bad characteristics from the breeds however other breeders feel that this type of breeding has actually caused more problems.

If you need a particular cross bred dog for a certain characteristic then go ahead and give one of these designer dogs a chance it may just be the perfect dog for you.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Cross-Breeding---Mating-Dogs-of-Different-Breeds&id=8419427

3 Things You Will Love About A Labrador Retriever

OK, let's be honest what isn't there to like about a lab. If you've ever owned a lab you know what fantastic pets they make and if you haven't owned a lab previously I hope this article will help you decide to choose a lab for your next pet.

 

I think one of the things I like best about labs is their friendly nature to people and other dogs as well. Now don't get me wrong just like with every puppy it needs to be socialized so it stays friendly as it gets older. So if you socialize your dog properly at a young age you should have a dog that's wonderful with children, strange environments, other dogs and other people. It just seems like they love everybody and everything. 

A Labrador is perfect for the active family. Whether you're the type of person that likes to go for long walks or hikes in the woods this dog is for you. If you and your family spend a lot of time on the water your dog will love to be with you because labs love the water. 

Now don't get me wrong a lab requires a lot of exercise. In fact if you pick up a good book it might suggest that your lab needs to run 3 miles a day. Not everybody can pull that one off but for the jogger he's the perfect animal for the household. 

Training a lab is usually really easy. It just seems like they were made for obedience and of course they make great working dogs including hunting and any type of detection work including drugs and arson. The Labrador retriever is a dog that wants to please. 

If you want to compete in AKC obedience trials this just might be the perfect dog for you because of their willing nature to perform the obedience exercises. 

In fact if you've ever gone to the county fair you may have seen the dogs doing the dock jumping where they actually jump off of the dock and into the water. They are judged on the distance the dog can jump. If you enjoyed that your lab may be the perfect candidate to get you involved in that type of competition. 

Credit 

Now don't get me wrong a lab puppy can be a handful in fact I tell people that it will be a pup until it's about 2 ½ to 3 years old. However, once it matures you will have a faithful companion that will always want to be at your side. 

Don't let the book or the movie about Marley the lab scare you away, even though he was a complete handful he still had his wonderful moments and most labs are like that. So go out and make that next dog a lab, you'll love it.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?3-Things-You-Will-Love-About-A-Labrador-Retriever&id=8389401

Are You Practicing Good Dog Owner Etiquette?

As a dog owner it is very important that you practice good doggy manners. What does that mean you ask? This article is going to point out some things that are important for you to be a good dog owner and to show good doggy etiquette. 

There are several things that you should be doing to show that you are a courteous dog owner. This is just four different ones that I see being abused the most. 

Jumping On People 

This is the one that is probably abused the most. Yep, you walk into a home and here comes the dog, jumping all over you. Some people say it's okay because they are dog lovers but not everyone wants a dog jumping all over them. In some cases these over exuberant dogs actually knock people down. Depending on the persons age this could be very dangerous. 

So how do you keep it from happening? Put the dog on leash so the dog cannot get to the person and jump on them. In fact teaching your dog to do a sit stay really comes in handy here. 

Excessive Barking 

If you have ever been the recipient of non-stop barking from a neighbor's dog you know what I mean when we talk about excessive barking. We should all be good neighbors and bring our dogs in the house especially during the evening so that our dogs are not disturbing the peace. If you know a neighbor sleeps during the day do the same. If necessary crate your dog and the neighbors will love you. 

Allowing You Dog To Run Loose 

Allowing your dog to run loose in most areas is not only against the law because of leash laws it is also very dangerous for your dog. Thousands of dogs a year are run over while roaming the streets. A dog owner that cares for his dog will never allow his dog to run loose. If your dog shows any type of aggression you are opening yourself to a tremendous amount of liability if your dog should happen to bite a person or another dog. 

Pick Up The Poop 

This one is a real pain in the rear for a bunch of homeowners. I know you have seen it but hopefully you have now added to the problem by allowing your dog to poop and not bagging it up. This has become such a problem in some communities that all dogs are swabbed for DNA, and waste material that has not been picked up is checked with the DNA on file and the offending owner can be fined up to $1000. So bag the poop and keep your neighborhood clean. 

I hope these items will give you something to think about so that you can practice good doggy etiquette.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-Practicing-Good-Dog-Owner-Etiquette?&id=8389428

Get Involved In Dog Sports

If you have an active lifestyle or have a dog that needs to get rid of a bunch of energy you may consider getting involved in some type of dog sport. There are a bunch of dog sports to get involved in and in this article I will discuss just a few of them.

Let's start off with agility. I think almost every large town in the United States has an agility club or a trainer with a facility so that you can learn how to do agility with your dog. The easiest way to put it is that agility is a blast and loads of fun for you and your dog. The first time I attended an agility competition they had an announcer who was explaining agility and how it was done. He commented that you won't see many fat folks doing agility. They may have started out that way but they are thin now from all the running and bending and stooping. So as you can imagine agility is good for your health as well as the dogs.

Join a Frisbee club. You don't actually have to join a club to enjoy doing Frisbee with your dog however clubs are out there if you decide you'd like to compete. You've possibly seen Frisbee competitions on TV where people travel from all over the country to compete with their dogs. Teaching your dog to catch the disc and do all those fancy jumps and catches can be quite enjoyable for you and your dog. If this is something that you think you might be interested in simply do a Google search and you'll find a Frisbee club in your area.

Flyball is fast and fun for dogs of all sizes. Flyball is an exciting competition that involves jumping over hurdles and catching a ball that flies out of a box. It's actually done as a relay race with a team. The height of the hurdles is set based on the height of the smallest dog so every team seems to have a short dog to keep those hurdles low. If you go to a flyball competition be careful because it doesn't take much to get hooked on this fun sport.

Schutzhund is a German sport originally developed for German Shepherds. Schutzhund consists of three different areas of training including obedience, tracking and protection. Each dog that competes in this sport must do well and pass each area of the competition. Schutzhund trials are held each weekend all over the country. If this is something you and your dog may be interested in do a Google search for Schutzhund and see what you can find close to where you live.

In this article I have talked about 4 different types of dog sports. Believe me there are many more out there that might just get you and your dog out of the house and active. Make an effort to get involved with a dog sport soon your dog will love you for it.

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