Does Your Dog Have Separation Anxiety?
November 3, 2011 by Alex Greenwood · Comments Off
Do you have problems with your dog missing you too much when you must be away due to work or other activities? It is actually not that uncommon of a problem, although it can certainly be distressing for both dogs as well as their owners.
If your dog goes off his nut when you go to work, shopping or whatever, he could have what’s called Separation Anxiety. Children can experience this behavior as well and the advice on how to help them are quite similar. Here are a few tips to help you cope with your dog.
What are the signs of Separation Anxiety?
If your dog is chewing, digging and scratching they are showing signs that they are trying to escape. While barking, pooping and peeing and excessive salivating are signs of fear and anxiety. These are the classic signs.
What causes Separation Anxiety?
It is usually caused by lack of proper training, starting with socialization which can cause a lack of confidence. It could also be due to mistreatment by a previous owner, extensive confinement or even too much bonding. To a lesser extent, it can be caused by genetics. But mostly it’s due to something that you can control.
How can you treat Separation Anxiety?
Many believe that crate training at an early age is the way to prevent Separation Anxiety. With or without a crate, make sure you don’t make a big deal over leaving, say a quick goodbye and go. You don’t need to give him a heads up, he will start worrying about where all his love has gone when you’re away.
Also try and teach your dog not to associate certain behaviors of yours with your leaving the house and being away for hours. Dogs are very good at associating certain actions with certain outcomes. You may have noticed for example that as dress for work, or pick up your car keys, your dogs begins to get anxious.
Try to change your behaviors a bit, like putting on your makeup 20 minutes before you go. Or, when practical go outside as you would when you go to work, start the car and wait a few minutes, then come back in and give him a treat. Eventually he will associate the starting of your car with a benefit rather than a bad thing.
Make sure they have lots to do when you’re gone. Leave his favorite toys and treats. The interactive dog treat dispensers are great for this as you can regulate how many he has and it keeps him busy trying to get at them. When your dog knows that he has access to treats, he won’t care so much that you’re gone. Also leave on the TV or radio when you’re gone. There are even special CDs you can get made especially for dogs, or you could record your own voice.
Don’t turn every homecoming into a party. Greet them and take them outside to do their business immediately. If you make it into too big of a deal, they are going to realize that it’s more fun when you’re home.
Separation anxiety is something that should improve over time. However, if it does not, or if your dog shows signs of extreme aggression when he is let out, seek a professional trainer and/or see you Vet for further assistance. In extreme causes a calmative type medication may be prescribed for you dog by your Vet.
It’s up to you to pay attention to your dogs behaviors and seek out training methods that will help him overcome his problems. All he really wants is your love and affection.
Alex is an avid pet lover who has had more than her fair share of pets throughout her life. She has taken her experience with pets and her love of writing and published Henri’s Online Dog Obedience School where you can sign-up for her pet tips and tricks e-newsletter or visit Henri the Hound, the place to go when you’re looking for awesome gifts for your furry friends.
The Do’s And Don’ts When Socializing Your Puppy
October 1, 2011 by Alex Greenwood · Comments Off
As an owner of a new puppy, it is vital you socialize the dog as soon as possibly so they become familiar with other things. This will go a long way toward eliminating the possibility of them developing anger and aggression towards dogs down the road. To help you have the most success as a dog trainer with your puppy, here are a few do’s and don’ts to guide you in the right direction.
When it’s time for your pup to interact with other animals or people you must make sure that this is done as calmly and peacefully as possible. You do not want to make your pups first experiences scary or confusing. Ensure that your puppy is in a safe environment that he will not be frightened in.
It’s a whole new world for these little fellows, so start them out gently. Start with family members and friends, the more people they meet the less likely they will be frightened by them in the future. Once they have mastered meeting people, introduce them to the dogs of your friends and neighbors as long as they are calm, healthy and happy dogs themselves. It’s all about your puppy feeling safe.
Step two is to take them out in public whenever you can while they’re still impressionable pups. Go to parks and playgrounds or bring them shopping to pet shops. Essentially just get them meeting and greeting people and pets they don’t know.
Here are a few things to steer clear of. Number one is don’t put this training off. You need to socialize them when they are young in order for them to get the most of it. They’ll learn it easier and will retain it better.
Avoid putting your pup in stressful situations where they may not feel safe. If you must go in uncharted territories, for example when traveling, give them a safe place to be by themselves but at the same time keep an eye on you. Don’t let them go close to strange animals you don’t know. You never know how another dog is going to behave if you don’t know them and it only takes one attack can traumatize your pup and change its behavior forever.
If your puppy is showing signs of fear, the last thing you want to do is inadvertently reward this behavior by soothing them. Biting is often associated with fear and the last thing you want is for your puppy to develop a biting problem.
And finally, you need to stay patient. Socialization is an extremely essential component of their growth so don’t rush them. Just like humans, dogs learn at their own speed and they will learn much more if you follow their lead and not try to force too much on them at once. Patience and consistency is the way to go with puppy training (It works well in everyday life too!)
If your dog is not socializing well with others despite all your attempts, you might want to call in the top guns. Check out other in-depth training practices that will teach you much more than the basics covered here
Alex is a freelance graphic artist & marketing pro with a penchant for writing and pets. She has a long and special history with pets and has studied what will work and what doesn’t when training them. If you enjoyed this article, check out her other pet related articles;Why Physical Force Won’t Work When Training Dogs or Do Dogs Have Human Emotions.
Safe dog food
February 27, 2009 by Jack Robbins · Comments Off
How can you ensure that the dog food you feed your pet is safe? The best way is to consider making homemade dog food. Do not worry about recalls on spoiled dog food. Instead, you can know exactly what goes into your dogs food by mixing foods on your own.
When you make homemade dog food for your pet, you will need to add meat, starchy foods and vegetable into the mix. The most basic meals have meat, rice and carrots or other vegetables. If your dog deserves a gourmet treat, use tasty meats and a variety of vegetables along with potatoes and rice. Just be certain that every meal contains starches, vegetables and a meat product.
Chicken, lamb, liver, kidney, beef and turkey are the most popular meats to use if you want to make homemade dog food that is fit for a king. Dairy products including eggs and other components should be included in your homemade dog food. Rice, potatoes and other starchy ingredients are necessary as well.
Lean meat is best for your dog especially if they are overweight. You do not want to use fatty meats. Dietary needs might be a little different if your dog is still a puppy. In that case, you will want to talk to their veterinarian so that you know exactly which type of meats you should use in their dog food along with any other dietary needs specific to young dogs.
Homemade dog food can be made by purchasing a book with recipes for homemade pet foods. You can also use the internet in order to locate an assortment of recipes so that you can prepare safe and healthy meals for your pet from home.
Homemade dog food can provide the healthiest and safest meals for your dog. You can find recipes online or by talking to your pets veterinarian. You should talk to their vet in any case before you start mixing up homemade dog food. They can aid you in preparing menus that will provide your dog with food they love and ingredients they need.
Helpful Pointers When Training Your Dog
January 28, 2009 by Rice Amire · Comments Off
We all want the best for our pets, especially when it comes to health and behavior. In fact, if you have a dog for a pet, you just might be considering getting into dog training, to ensure your pet is well behaved.
Anybody with a pet dog and some free time can train their dog. You don’t have to be a professional to train your dog simple tricks. One thing to remember is that, it should be a fun adventurous activity when training your dog, don’t look upon it as a chore or burden. Training your pet should be something to look forward to for the both of you.
Training your dog to obey a simple command such as sit, stay, heel, and jump is very exciting. You must remember to display a sense of consistency when training your dog to learn one of these basic commands.
As just stated, consistency is key when teaching your dog these simple commands. One way to keep it simple and consistent is to remember to use practically the same sentence and words when teaching your dog a trick. Repetition of the same words can help the dog understand what it is you want them to do when spoken these words.
In order to learn a new trick, your dog must be fully attentive when being taught. Make sure to have your dog’s attention before starting your dog training activity. This is usually achieved just by calling out your dog’s name. Whenever your dog seems to lose attention, call out his/her name to get it back.
Dogs may get confused if you try to teach them too many tricks or commands at one time. Be patient and teach your dog only one command at a time. This will prove to be the best approach in teaching your dog numerous commands.
When training your dog, be sure to teach your dog in short spurts. Your dog needs time to process the information and it may turn out to be less useful for your dog to learn a trick if taught through long tiring training sessions.
Ideally, sessions should last between 10-5 minutes. The key here is slowly but surely. This may take more time and effort from the dog training, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Dogs attention spans are short and if they have long training sessions, it may just turn out to be a waste of time as your dog won’t be paying attention to you anyway.
Treats are the biggest driving force for a dog. Treats in the form of doggy treats, a pat on the head, or a scratch behind the ear motivates a dog to learn the new command and to do it when commanded too. If there is one thing to not forget to do, it is to give your dog some sort of positive reinforcement when they accomplish a good act.
