5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice when it's speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I'll NEVER forget it.
7. Before you hit me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.
8.Beforeyou scold be for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if somethingmight be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I'vebeen out in the sun too long, or my heart may be getting old and weak.
9.Take care of me when I get old. You, too, will grow old.
10.Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch it"or, "Let it happen on my absence." Everything is easier for ME if youare there. Remember, I love you.

Author Unknown

Barking
Dogsare natural warning devices. However, barking should stop when the dogis commanded to do so. In addition, owner absent barking can be quiteannoying to others. For this reason, we need to control the behaviorwhen possible.

The best way to stop a behavior from recurringis to associate it with a negative reinforcement. Effective negativereinforcements vary from dog to dog and may depend upon many factorsincluding breed, age, device, timing and more. Some of the methods Iuse include my voice, a soda can filled with pennies, a squirt ofwater, or a leash check, just to name a few.

When the dogbarks say "Quiet!" in an authoritative voice. This command means tostop barking. If the dog barks again, activate the negative reinforcer(throw the can to the floor near the dog or snap the leash) and repeatthe command "Quiet!". If the dog stops barking, praise him.

Ownerabsent behaviors are the most difficult to control. Keep the dog in acrate in the house if he is not yet house trained. Play a talk radiostation in another room so that the dog will not feel he is alone. Whenit is time for you to leave, just leave. Drape the crate with a towelto limit sensory stimuli if necessary. Also leave interesting toys forthe dog to play with.

Digging
Todo this you must supervise your dog in the yard, either with you outthere or while watching through a window. When your dog begins to dig,you must interrupt the behavior with something the dog will want toavoid; a loud noise, your voice, or a soaking with a hose.

Submissive Urination
Tobegin with, submissive urination is not a house training problem. It iscaused by a weak bladder when the dog is excited or frightened; this iswhy it is seen most often in younger dogs. Submissive urination occursin both male and female dogs, but is more common in females. Thescenario usually goes like this: You come home from work and your puppyis happy to see you. You reach down and greet your puppy and she squatsand urinates. She is unaware of what is taking place and her tail issmearing it all over. You yell "No!"; she then becomes frightened sinceyour mood changed so suddenly, and urinates more. If this keeps up, shemay begin to urinate when she hears you arrive in anticipation of beingyelled at. So what can you do about it?

The next time youarrive home, walk in and ignore your dog like he or she was not there.Do not make eye contact. Take a few minutes to allow the dog to settledown. Next lower your hand and let your dog smell it or lick it.Finally, squat down and greet your dog at the dogs level, rememberingnot to get too excited. Greeting your dog in a lower position is lessintimidating.

Food Guarding
Foodguarding is a common problem encountered by canine behaviorists. Thisis not surprising since canines are predisposed to protecting theirfood; their ancestors needed to protect their food in order to survivein the wild (or even from pushy litter mates). If your puppy learned togrowl or snap at his litter mates in order to get any or the most food,he is simply carrying on this early learning behavior with his humanfamily. If the owner smacks the dog for this behavior or takes the foodaway, this will in some cases confirm his need to guard his food.

Typically,any food guarding that is challenged once the dog has possession islikely to increase his defensive behavior and become more dangerous. Ifyour canine companion learns that aggression wins over food, he maylater begin to try this tactic with other things like trophypossessions or space on his favorite couch.

The method ofchoice for solving this problem is to first put the behavior understimulus control. Assuming you have taught your dog to come and sit,call your dog to you and make him sit. When he does, immediately givehim a food treat and say "Take it" at the same moment. Soon aconditioned response will be established. If the dog snaps too hard atthe treat say "Gentle!" in a harsh voice and try to withhold it untilthe dog takes it gently. Be sure to praise with a warm "Good". Next,begin to delay the treat a few seconds. If the dog jumps to get thetreat, simply close your hand and give the instructive reprimand "Off".Soon the dog should learn that the owner has the right to control thesmall, quickly consumable treats. This can later be expanded to thetreat being offered in the food bowl.

Begging
Thereis one thing for sure - dogs beg because only they receivereinforcement for doing so; it only takes once or twice to start thehabit. People food is a great motivater. Another thing that is for sureis that dogs who are constantly fed at the table get fat, less mobileand usually die younger than dogs who aren't fed at the table. The factis, dogs who eat premium kibble get better nutrition than most potatochip eating, beer drinking humans.

First, obedience train yourdog. Be sure your instructor teaches the place command (to go to a matand lie down) or at least the down-stay. Place your dog in a place ordown-stay and eat dinner. He can watch. After dinner, release him andfeed him his food in his bowl. Why feed him last? Well, if there were apack of dogs in the woods and they killed a rabbit (poor bunny), whowould eat first? If you answered, "The leader" you're correct. So whywould you feed your dog first and make him think he is the leader?Sound silly? Not really; this is the way dogs think. Only offer foodtreats when your dog obeys a command you have given. And never feedthem under the table!

Separation Anxiety

1. Plan Your Exit
Whenit is time to leave, just leave. Do not say "Good bye" to your dog withhugs and kisses. In fact, ignore your dog for five minutes before yougo. Paying too much attention will make your dog feel more insecurewhen the attention is abruptly withdrawn.

2. Confine Your Dog When You Are Away
Confiningyour dog during your times of absence has two positive results. First,a dog who is confined to a carrier or crate cannot do damage to yourhome. Secondly, a crate, when properly introduced, will act as a safe,comfortable den where the dog can relax. Limiting his movement alsoacts as an anxiety reducer for most dogs.

3. Leave the Radio On
Tunea radio to a talk station, put it on in a room you are often in (thebedroom is usually a good choice) and close the door. The dog will hearthe human voices from your room and may not feel so alone. I have hadsome clients tape record their own voices and play the recording inplace of the radio program. Dogs know the sound of your voice all toowell. And remember, since the dog is most anxious just after you leave,a one hour recording will most probably do.

4. Practice This Training Routine
Withmost dogs, the hardest time for them is immediately after you leave.Their anxious (and sometimes destructive) behavior occurs within thefirst hour after they are left alone. It will be your job to reshapeyour dog's behavior through reinforcement training. Leave your dog outof his crate, put your coat on, walk to the door and leave. Come backin immediately. Greet your dog calmly. Tell him to sit. When he does,reinforce this behavior with a food treat he enjoys. Wait a few minutesand then repeat the exercise, this time remaining outside a few secondslonger. Continue practicing leaving and returning over the next fewweeks, always remembering to return, greet your dog calmly and commandhim to sit before offering a treat.

5. Establish Your Leadership
Whena dog has a strong leader, it has a calming effect on him. He feelssafe and taken care of. In the absence of a strong leader, your dogfeels obligated to assume that position in the social hierarchy of thefamily pack. Since a leader must control all that goes on, hisinability to control your leaving causes him stress and anxiety.Obedience training is the best organized method of establishingyourself as a strong leader.

6. Exercise Your Dog
Adog who is lacking exercise is more likely to have stress and tension.Tiring a dog out with a long walk, run or with play goes a long way inreducing stress.

Chewing
Apuppy's urge to chew usually starts around teething time. Simply put,it feels good to chew. Like many other behaviors, most owners do notmind if their dog chews appropriate chew toys such as bones, rawhide,hard rubber and the like. It is inappropriate chewing the rug, thefurniture, your shoes; this is usually not appreciated. Dogs may chewwhen the are isolated and bored. They may also chew when they areanxious and under stress. If this chewing relieves the boredom or thestress, it will most likely be repeated again and again because it isself-reinforcing. You end up with a bad habit that is sometimes hard tobreak.

The best way to prevent inappropriate chewing is toexercise the dog, supervise him when he is out and about, and confinehim to a kennel or crate when you are not watching him. Puppy-proofingyour house is also advised.

Your dog needs a variety of chewtoys. Take half of them out one week and the put other half away.Rotate the group each week. In this way, your dog will not become boredand find new "toys" that may be yours. I provide a toy box for my dogs.They take toys out when they want to chew. I don't expect them to putthem back though.

If you catch your puppy chewing aninappropriate object say, "No!... Chew Toy." and redirect the dog to anappropriate toy. This "instructive reprimand" will help to shape yourpuppy's behavior to your liking.

Remember, a puppy is a puppyfor the first 12 to 18 months of life. When not supervised, puppyshould be in the crate with a few toys. In this way, your belongingswill stay intact and puppy will not be allowed to develop bad habits.With maturity and proper reinforcement training from you, soon your dogwill have freedom around your home if you so desire.

 

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