Archive for the 'dog behavior' Category
My mutt Ace automatically becomes hyper in certain situations regardless of how much exercise he’s had. And hyper is an understatement.
A lack of exercise is the cause behind most dog behavior problems, but not all. What I’m referring to in this post is a dog’s behavior issues related to his state of mind.
Ace’s “problem areas” include agility and retrieving. Ace is obsessive and ...
My previous dog Brittni was trained to follow the commands “stay” and “wait.” Each command had a clear meaning, and I was consistent about how I used each.
The trainer I worked with at the time taught me to use the two commands because stay should always mean stay here in this exact position until I return and release you. Wait should always mean wait here until I give you the next command.
A ...
I’ve had multiple people ask for my advice on the same problem – their dogs were going to the bathroom indoors for no apparent reason after being housebroken for years.
People hope for some kind of magical solution or an easy explanation for their dogs’ behavior problems. They also suggest that the dogs misbehave as a way of getting back at them for something.
As convenient as it is to believe a dog ...
Note: This is a guest post from Minette at TheDogTrainingSecret.com. Her tips are a good reminder for all of us to be consistent with our dogs – something I need work on!
One of the problems I deal with frequently is that the dog or dogs in the house only listen to one of the owners or family members and not everyone. There are several possibilities and reasons that this problem occurs, and it is important to ...
I’m not a big fan of using treats for dog training. Treats encourage begging and obsessive behavior, and treats make some dogs too excited.
I’m all for positive reinforcement and use a lot of treats when teaching a new concept, but other than that I expect my dog to listen regardless of whether I have a treat or not. It annoys me when some dogs will not obey a command unless they think they will get a fo ...
Dogs’ needs are often overlooked during holiday road trips, so I thought I’d list a few reminders if your dog is lucky enough to come along. Dogs are usually extra naughty when visiting somewhere new, right?
1. Hide the chocolate from your dog.
When the car is stuffed with goodies, keep all the tempting presents in the trunk if your dog will be alone in the car. Wrapping paper and boxes will not stop a ...
Dogs pick up on more words than we give them credit for. They are very capable of learning 100 to 200 words and some learn more.
In the book “The Loved Dog” Tamar Geller encourages dog owners to teach their dogs as many words as possible by saying words like “walk,” “drink,” “cat” or “play” over and over.
I made a list of every word I know my mutt Ace recogn ...
My current foster dog is a tan Pomeranian mix I named Elli. I can’t tell you how cute and sweet she is. She wants to be with me at all times, and she will be a great companion for the right person.
Elli gets along with my mutt Ace, and she does not bother my cats. She knows sit, shake and comes when called. She also seems to be housebroken. No dog is perfect, though, including Elli. Her main issue right now is ...
Ace’s tennis ball obsession was at its worst recently.
We were on a 45-minute road trip, and he whined the entire time in the car because he knew there was a ball in my bag.
When I finally took the ball out, he was so fixated it appeared he was having a seizure (he wasn’t). His head shook to the point where his teeth were chattering. He was drooling, staring and trembling.
Once we reached our destination, my dog ...
Four years ago, I owned a purebred dog.
This was before I owned a mutt, before I got involved in dog rescue and before I knew what a blog was. I’d never even thought about dog agility, starting a dog running business or fostering a pitbull.
But each dog that enters my life really does seem to open a new chapter, and Ace has introduced me to a whole new world with dogs.
Still, my life would not be the same without m ...
