One of the cutest creatures on earth is a puppy. Puppies can add a fun spirit to an otherwise uneventful home. Many families adopt a young puppy in an effort to teach their children responsibility and also how to respect another living creature.
Puppies aren’t all about being adorable though. Many pet owners will tell you that canine behavior problems begin when a dog is just a puppy. If those problems aren’t addressed the puppy can mature into a dog that consistently misbehaves.
It’s understandable that when a puppy does something bad, most people will attribute it to the dog’s age. However many of the canine behavior problems that puppies exhibit should be addressed immediately.
One such example is when a puppy bites on things. Puppies do teethe just as human babies do. A puppy will lose it’s baby teeth and they will be replaced by adult teeth. During this process a puppy may find it comforting to chew on items such as slippers or shoes. If this type of canine behavior isn’t corrected, the puppy will assume that it’s okay to continue biting. It needs to be stopped before the puppy matures.
Another common problem that many pet owners face is a puppy that won’t stop barking. Dogs use their vocal chords to express how they feel. It’s not uncommon to hear a puppy whining soon after you bring it home. Puppies will also growl when they feel threatened. These two types of canine behavior patterns are normal and are healthy for the puppy.
However, if the puppy continues to repeatedly bark for no apparent reason this needs to be addressed. One of the biggest canine behavior problems is continual barking. If you have ever lived in a neighborhood where a dog barked and barked on end you will know how frustrating and disturbing this can be. If this particular canine behavior problem is corrected when the dog is young there is a much better chance that it can be changed.
A dog that jumps on people or furniture can also be problematic. This is especially true if the dog is on the large size. It can be frightening for visitors if a large dog jumps on them as they enter your home. This canine behavior problem can be easily fixed when the puppy is still small. You simply need to remind it each time it does jump, by speaking sternly to it. This will help correct the problem before it gets out of hand.
Dogs are wonderful, loving animals and can make terrific pets. With a bit of attention when they are young, you can train your dog to be the perfect family companion.
The Basic Principles To Train A Dog
There are probably thousands of books on how to train a dog, and all of them will tell you more or less the same things. Training a dog is a pretty simple affair, once you understand its principals. The very first lesson that any expert in how to train a dog will tell you is to start young. The old adage “you can't teach an old dog new tricks” isn't exactly true, but it certainly is much easier to teach a young dog new tricks than an old one. If your dog is fully grown, you'd do best to take it to an expert who knows more about how to train a dog. But, unless you want him to perform the most spectacular and complex of tricks, anyone can train a puppy.
The basic principals of how to train a dog are conditioning – specifically, negative and positive reinforcement. Sometimes these can be quite cruel, but you need to persist in them. Anyone who knows anything about how to train a dog will tell you: if your feedback is not immediate and consistent, your dog will never be successfully trained. So, for example, if you want to housebreak your dog, you must, whenever it pees in the house, immediately stick its nose in it, and say “bad dog.” This will teach the dog to associate peeing in the house with the unpleasant sensation of being shouted at, and having its nose stuck in its pee. You then immediately lead the dog to the back door, and show it where in the yard it is to pee. If you see the dog about to pee in the house, you should grab it by the collar and drag it outsid.
Soon, the dog will begin to understand. It will know that it is not supposed to pee inside, and is supposed to go outside to do its business. The next step in how to train a dog is to give it positive reinforcement when it figures this out. Perhaps, when it begins to make it out the door before going to the bathroom, you can pet it and say “good dog.” Then, feed it a biscuit. It is easy to figure out how to train a dog to do some tricks, such as begging and rolling over, through the use of positive reinforcement alone, which is much more pleasant for both you and your dog.
When Your Best Friend Gets Lost: Tips In Finding Your Dog
“The dog is man’s best friend,” so the saying goes. Dogs have proven to be loving and loyal companions of people. From pit bulls to dachshunds to terriers, dogs are a part of daily life.
But what happens when your pet dog gets lost? What if, one day, while you are strolling across a park quite far from home with your Labrador and your pet suddenly gets lost? Do not resort to panic, as this will not help solve the situation.
You need to be extra cautious regarding the loss of your pet dog. The first thing you should keep in mind is that, if you are going out with your pet dog, never let it goout of sight. In short, never let your dog get lost. Sometimes, you may feel very upset at such situations, since no matter how well trained the dogs are, they will look for ways to stay free, to roam around. Here are some ways to find your dog if he is lost.
- Check the various animal shelters in town. If your dog has not been claimed by others or picked up, leave a complete description of your dog with the animal shelter staff. Include your name and contact information. If possible, show a recent photograph of you and your dog. This is also a reason why the license for your pet should be current and updated.
- Check all the pet shops and veterinarians in your vicinity. You could ask the staff or vet if somebody has reported a lost dog and if the dog shares the same characteristics of your lost dog.
- Post details of your dog along with your contact information in billboards or in areas where the dog might have gotten lost.
- If possible, place an ad in the local papers for your lost dog. Also check the “Lost and Found” classifieds. Check it daily. You’ll never know when somebody turns up to say that he or she found your dog.
- Check in your neighborhood. Your dog could be somewhere near. Dogs usually do not stray far from their own homes.
- It would be easier and faster to find the dog if it has complete identification details, such as a name tag, identifiable collar, among others.
- Be sure you have your dog’s current photo. Keep it at all times, just in case you need to show what your dog looks like.
Here is one last option to keep in mind. The latest thing in tracking your pet is to have an electronic chip placed just under the skin. The chip contains all the information about your dog and yourself so that the information can be scanned by a vet or a local animal shelter.
