Dog Puppy Behavior Training Help

Dog Fights are Scary – Interdog Aggression

It’s scary when dogs in the same household fight. The solutions can be as simple as feeding the dogs in different areas, or as complex as implementing a behavior modification plan for inter dog aggression. Your first steps are to identify triggers and situations when the dogs are more likely to fight. Manage the environment so the fights are less likely. Remove high value toys and food items;...

Your Choice- Obnoxious Dog or Well Mannered Pet

Every day, I speak with clients about meeting their dogs’ basic needs. Most of us assume our dogs are getting plenty of exercise and stimulation when the dogs are alone (or with other dogs) in a large fenced area. The dog is in the great outdoors, so she must be getting enough exercise, right? Wrong. This is not usually the case, unless you have a turbo Jack Russell Terrier, like the one pictured...

Does Your Dog Own You? Resource Guarding of Territory, Food, Items, or People

Resource guarding is when dogs posture, growl, snarl, bark,  snap, lunge, or bite for reasons we believe are efforts to keep other animals or people away from what they consider to be valuable resources. Resources include food, territory, items and persons. Food related aggression, territory aggression, and possession aggression are specific labels for different types of resource guarding. Resource...

Terrier Tested: Interactive Foraging Dog Toys, Free Range Bullie, Gentle Leader, Sure Fit Harness & Supplies (Not Balls)

Amazon.com Widgets I have these dog goodies linked on this site so my clients can find the best items at the best prices! I mention many of these items during group and private dog training sessions. You can get these toys at many stores. I SHOP at AMAZON and SIT STAY for the best deals from reliable sources. My 10 year old Australian terrier,Bentley, loves each of these items (well, except for...

Amateur Shock Collar Use Starts Dog Fight

If you want to control your pet dog’s involuntary aggressive responses via force and intimidation, you are entering a spiral of blackness and doom. One day, your chosen method or equipment will fail; injuries and sadness will emerge. I’ve seen it many times. Point being, punishing the growl with a quick burst of energy via an e-collar, leash jerk, Caesar Milan hiss, alpha roll, spank on the butt,...

Meet Your Dog’s Physical Needs for Balance – Commercial, BARF, Frozen & Organic Diet, Food Choices

Physical needs are related to the physical well-being of the dog. Routine vaccinations are one example of physical health requirements. Grooming and bathing, quality food and clean water are other obvious needs. Shelter from environmental extremes and refuge from everyday household commotion are important for the physical health of your puppy. The ability to move about, sufficient bathroom access,...

Canine Behavior Modification for Reactive, Unwanted, Behaviors, including Fear and Aggression

Okay, so your dog is fearful, barking, lunging and otherwise distressed when he or she sees people, trucks, cars, or dogs. Depending on who you are talking to, those behaviors may be classified as territory or protective aggression, possession aggression, inter-dog aggression, fear aggression, or leash aggression. I’ll refer to the other people, other dogs, trucks, cars, as “triggers”,...

Canis lupus familiaris, Food Related Aggression

Many people are aware that some pet dogs will guard food. Food guarding is not uncommon when it occurs between dogs. If that is the only problem, it can usually be controlled by managing the environment. Feed the dogs in different areas; remove the empty bowls, avoid feeding rawhides, crate the dogs during dinner, during pizza parties, et cetera.  Some people accept food guarding between dogs as...

Teach Your Memphis Labrador Retriever to Respond to Your First Command

Some of my clients repeat a cue or command to their Memphis labrador retriever puppy or dog many times, either in efforts to get the behaviors, or to keep the behaviors. For example, many people repeat the word sit when their dogs don’t sit on the first command. Saying stay…stay…stay… while walking away and extending your hand out like a stop signal is another common example. I have a...

Barking Behind Fence or Window May Increase Territory Aggression

Barriers such as fences and windows may encourage your pet dog to exhibit territory aggression. Suppose a dog watches out the window (or runs along a fence line) for hours at a time. Suppose the dog barks and snarls at passing dogs, bicyclists, joggers, walkers, children, etc.. Suppose the dog jumps, up on the window or fence, barks and lunges, snarls and snaps. At this point the dog will not listen...

Barking Dog? Resolutions ** Danger! ** Do Not Use an Anti Bark Collar on Your Dog or Puppy, without reading this first!

Okay, so your dog is barking and you have the perfect, initial solution; buy one of those anti bark dog collars, right? WRONG! Please do not misunderstand, I agree there are situations when an anti bark collar is a good choice, but spraying a dog with citronella, sounding a tone, (or using an e-collar ) are never at the top of my list of tools and solutions for barking. Anti bark collars address the...