Behavior

• Choosing a Dog Breed That's Right for You- With so many to types of dogs to choose from, we empathize with anyone who’s having a hard time choosing a dog breed. That’s why we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the characteristics of as many breeds as you can. Exclusive research of just a few breeds isn’t sufficient – especially when there’s a significant chance that you might find your perfect dog within a breed that you hadn’t even considered.
  
• The Best Dogs for Kids: Anticipating Dog-Child Problems- If only everyone researched dog behavior before introducing them into a family full of children! Perhaps then, we wouldn’t hear so many horror stories about dogs attacking kids. In a significant number of these stories, we often find that the dog really isn’t at fault. The dog might have been provoked (as innocent as that provocation may have been), or perhaps the dog was abused by older family members who should have known better. In either case, chances are that the dog wasn’t an appropriate family choice in the first place!
• Dog Behavior Problems - 7 Keys to Prevention-

  Controlling dog behavior problems is easier if you anticipate them and work to avoid them altogether. Much of the success is rooted in the dog’s environment and interaction with its owner. As long as the owner is willing to make some critical changes, and teach its dog what's allowed (and how to enjoy what's allowed), an amicable relationship and environment is indeed, quite possible. The following describes how to do just that.

• Chasing Dog Problems - How to Stop This Behavior-

  Got chasing dogs? A dog that seemingly chases everything is satisfying its natural disposition toward chasing prey. It doesn’t really matter what the prey is (a rabbit, a bird, a car, leaf, or another person). If it moves, chasers chase it. That spells trouble when you consider dogs don’t understand safety precautions and can’t predict danger the way we can. Confining a chasing dog is one approach to solving the problem, but there are other solutions.

• Bad Dog Behavior - How to Stop It-

  What we often call bad dog behavior is more often than not, a lack of sufficient training. Two of these behaviors, pushing and licking, can be controlled with a little reinforcement. Here’s how.

• Jumping Dog? Learn How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping on People-

  Dogs jump when they’re excited. They’ll jump all over another dominant dog out of respect and they’ll jump all over you out of glee. But while dog jumping on people is generally a clear message of affection, it isn’t always appropriate. A large jumping dog can overwhelm and scare small children for instance, or it can make bringing in the groceries an even harder chore than what it already is. Here’s how to stop your dog from jumping without hurting its feelings.

• What Makes a Dog Bite- Dogs generally bite when they feel threatened. The problem that we have as humans is that what dogs consider threatening doesn’t seem threatening to us at all. That’s why you’re strongly cautioned against making sudden changes around your dog. It doesn’t matter what breed it is, or how sociable it is, a threatened dog is a different beast altogether. Here’s what makes a dog bite, and how to avoid dog bites altogether.
  
  Some example situations that a dog deems as threatening include:
• Don’t Let a Dog Bite Your Child!- Children are more prone to dog bites than adults. Their lack of full motor control, high pitch voices, and tendency to hit and bite things themselves make them a threatening group of species to contend with. Even their small sizes play a role since dogs can interpret small children as a different kind of dog or even prey! Here are some tips to prevent children from getting a dog bite.
  
• Solving Dog Behavior Problems Related to Elimination-

  Housetraining success varies among dogs. It can take as little as a few weeks for some dogs to understand your requirements or it can seem like a problem that has no solution for others. Not so surprisingly, the cause of most elimination problems is the owner. Failing to recognize important signs and create a schedule are two key mishaps owners make. Here's how to correct dog behavior problems related to elimination.

• How to Prevent Inappropriate Sexual Dog Habits-

  Being creatures of nature, dogs are very sexual beings. It’s nothing to panic about, but it’s nothing to overlook either. Dogs don’t follow the same social graces that we follow, and as a result, can create some rather embarrassing moments for us. The following offers some advice on how you can curb these types of dog habits so that you can minimize the effect they have on your family’s relationship with the dog (specifically, your children’s relationship)!

• Old Dog Care- The age at which a dog enters its senior years not only varies from breed to breed, it also varies from size to size. Here are a few things you should be aware of when living with old dog in addition to a few ways to handle the situations that old dogs create.
• Understanding Adult Dog Temperaments - How to Choose a Dog with the Right Personality- A key to understanding dog behavior is understanding dog temperaments. Dog temperament describes a canine’s natural disposition or tendencies. When we say that a particular dog has a ‘loyal’ temperament for example, we mean that it’s naturally inclined to remain loyal to its owner. Other types of temperament describe a dog’s independence, friendliness, or aggressiveness while additional kinds cover a wide range of behaviors. When buying or adopting a dog, temperament should play an important role in your decision since it can influence the one you pick.
• Dog Barking Problems - How to Stop Them-

  Barking is natural. It’s just what dogs do and it’s unreasonable to expect or demand that a dog not bark at all. The problem with barking is that it can become excessive and disrupt what would otherwise be a nice quite day not only for your own family, but for your neighbors as well. Should your neighbors complain and call animal control or the cops about your barking dog, you could face a citation! Here are a few suggestions you can try to stop dog barking problems.

• Door Dashing Dog Behaviors and How to Stop Them-

  For whatever reason, dogs love to dash out of any door that leads to the outside. Whether it’s the front door, the back door, the garage door, or the doggy door, all dogs try to run to the other side of them without much warning at all. As you can guess, this is extremely dangerous – especially if the door opens to a busy street. Fortunately, this is one of the easiest dog behaviors to correct.

• Dog Digging Behavior Problems - How to Stop This Behavior-

  Like barking, chewing, and jumping, dog digging behavior is natural. You’ll especially see dog digging behavior in dogs that have been bred to do so. Dachshunds for example, were bred to chase after badgers through tunnels and into dens. And Yorkshire terriers were bred to chase rabbits and other burrowing animals underground. Spitzes not only dug up food, they buried what wasn't consumed and also dug tunnels of their own to give birth in warm dens. Today’s dogs don’t dig for the same reasons. Today's dogs dig because they need to exercise, relieve boredom, bury toys or bones, make personal beds, or simply to satisfy the curiosity of what’s beneath the ground. Here’s how to redirect the tendency toward a more appropriate place.

• Destructive Dog Chewing - How to Stop This Behavior-

  Like barking, digging, and jumping, dog chewing and puppy chewing is a natural canine behavior. It helps clean teeth, strengthen gums and the jaw, and quite honestly, it passes the time. Here’s how to redirect that energy toward something more productive.

• Solving Possessiveness Dog Problems and Excessive Guarding-

  Guarding and protecting are natural dog behaviors. But these behaviors become dog problems when dogs attempt to guard and protect things from their owners or other people. Quite often, dogs growl, charge, and even bite in an attempt to protect their things, and it doesn’t really matter who they’re growling at or biting. This behavior is simply unacceptable -- especially in a household full of children who might walk close to something that belongs to a dog or who might need to retrieve a dog’s item for washing.

• Begging Dog Problems and How to Avoid Them-

  Begging for tidbits at breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be a royal nuisance if allowed to continue. Yet it’s a rather easy bad habit to break. You simply don’t allow dog begging. Period. Here’s how to stop begging dog problems before they start.

• Zoomies - What Are They?-

  For such a cute little word, zoomies is one of the most bizarre aspects of known dog behavior! The word zoomie simply describes a sudden burst of energy that compels a dog (usually a 3- 6 month old puppy) to quickly run from one end of a house or yard to the other. While it’s mildly entertaining, it can cause harm or damage if you're not careful to give a zoomer adequate room and opportunity to burn that excess energy. Here’s how to properly deal with it.

• Crotch Sniffing Dogs - How to Stop This Embarrassing Behavior-

  Dog sniffing canines can glean a lot of information by smelling the crotch of another dog so it’s understandable why they try to smell ours. Whatever information they expect to get by doing so isn’t as important as how embarrassing it is. Here’s how to stop crotch sniffing dogs in their tracks.

• Dog Herding Behavior - Learn How to Stop It-

  Certain dog breeds are naturally inclined to herd other animals (including people) and although the behavior is based on the instinct to protect, it can be extremely uncomfortable – especially with a large crowd of family and friends. If you’ve never encountered dog herding before, it’s an experience that prompts dogs to nip at feet and legs, and block a person’s path in an effort to redirect them. Here’s how to train a herding dog to let humans roam free.

• The Canine Good Citizen Certificate-

  Have you ever heard of the Canine Good Citizen Certificate? Also known as the CGC, this credential is given to dogs that have passed a temperament and training test. It’s also an AKC sponsored award that’s given to both purebred and mixed breed dogs. The end result is a proud certificate and tag that bears the CGC logo. But the rewards aren’t just for show. A CGC certified canine can get a career in a therapy dog training program! Here’s what’s required:

• Understanding Dog Pack Behavior-

  In a natural, undomesticated setting, dogs live in packs largely comprised of family members. Adult dogs mostly demonstrate parental behavior (patience and tolerance) toward the pack’s younger members, but they also demonstrate cooperation and competition among other adults in the group. The cooperation and competition within the pack is part of its own interesting hierarchy where top dogs get first shot at resources over lower-ranking canines. What’s even more interesting is that this hierarchy changes based on the health, strength, number, addition, death or age of each pack member. This article introduces dog pack behavior so that you might better understand some of your dog’s natural tendencies.

• Understanding Dog Body Language-

  Understanding dog body language is extremely helpful when communicating with your dog. Like us, dogs communicate their moods through postures, and when we can understand those postures, we can finally understand what a dog is doing and why it’s doing it.

• How to Interpret Dog Sounds-

  If you ask any dog owner for the one thing she wishes she could do with her dog, the answer would probably be to understand what it’s trying to say. Just think about it – If there were a way to finally understand what all the dog barking sounds, growls, and whining truly meant! Consider this article your best bet toward interpreting dog sounds. It might not be perfect, but it’s the closest thing you’ll probably find. Enjoy!

• How to Socialize Puppy Behavior-

  What some people fail to realize is that socialization of a dog isn’t an option. It’s a requirement. A lot of strange puppy behavior stems from a lack of proper socialization that only generates fear, aggression, or fear-aggression from things that aren’t threatening at all. This article therefore expands on the importance of socialization just so there’s no doubt left about the topic at all.

• Having Dog Behavioral Problem? Learn When You Must Seek Professional Help-

  There may come a time when you can’t correct a dog behavioral problem yourself. That doesn’t mean that you’ve failed with your training – it simply means that it’s time to call in a pro. It’s no different from seeking a professional to fix your taxes, car, or plumbing. After all, we all can’t be experts at everything! Professional trainers have the expertise to correct problems we can’t. So the following describes situations that may warrant the need for a professional. If you recognize these situations within your dog, consult the services of a certified trainer or behavioral therapist.

• A Dog Health Problem May Be the Cause of Bad Behavior - How Can You Tell?-

  Often times, what may seem as a dog's bad behavior is actually caused by a health problem. The best way to tell if a dog's behavioral problem stems from a dog health problem is to note when the behavior began. Is the problem new and sudden? Or is it a problem that was never corrected when the dog was a puppy? If the problem is new and sudden, chances are the dog has a health issue. A good example is when a well housetrained dog suddenly starts to eliminate inside the home, or when an otherwise friendly sociable dog suddenly turns aggressive. When these behaviors seemingly erupt out of nowhere, it’s time to schedule an appointment with the vet.

• How to Stop Puppy Biting-

  In some ways, puppies are like human toddlers. Both use their mouths to interpret the world around them. Like toddlers, puppies too chew on toys, food, furniture, and anything else they can wrap their jaws around. But unlike toddlers, puppies like to chew people too. They don’t chew to be mean – they chew because their curious. Puppies learn about the human smell, the human taste, and the human texture though biting.

• Eliminating Dog Temper Tantrums-

  Did you know that dogs can throw temper tantrums just like children can? Both puppies and young adult dogs will through a hissy fit when they can’t do what they want or have what they want. Let’s say that you take one of its favorite toys away for washing. Dog temper tantrums involve barking, crying, growling, and even rolling around on the ground, and you might see this in reaction to simply wanting to wash a dog toy!

• Dog Bite Prevention Tips- Although a dog may have its reasons for biting, it isn’t always justified. Here are some dog bite prevention tips to keep your dog from biting on a whim.