Dog Channel / All About Dogs / Dog Behavior and Training

VERY Strange Behavior in Puppy!!!

FellWolfPaw — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:51:06 GMT

I just recently got a baby (7 weeks) goldendoodle as an addition to my 4 year old Labradoodle. At first my Labradoodle (Luna) didn't like the puppy, but she warmed up to her some over time. The puppy (Sol) LOVES Luna and always wants to play with her. So earlier today, I decided to give Luna a bath so I put Sol in her small crate. (Which she is usually fine with with the occasional wine) But after I was done grooming Luna I let her out of the bathroom, she went over to Sol's crate to check on her and Sol FREAKED OUT!!! She SCREAMED and hid in the corner of her crate. When I looked at her she screamed louder. Very unusual. So I shewed Luna away and opened the door to Sol's crate. At first she refused to come out. But I eventually coaxed her out and found she was shaking. This was very bizarre and she wasn't being territorial. Could someone tell me what could be going wrong?

8 month old puppy skiddish on leash and with strangers

MUSLMOM — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:44:45 GMT

I have a female Aussie mix (we think) and she's only 8 months old. Ever since we brought her home from the shelter when she was just 8 weeks old, she's been skiddish around strange people as well as other dogs and strange surroundings. I took her on a 2 mile walk the other day for the first time and I literally had to pull her along at times, and she appeared quite nervous about mostly everything that moved including cars, bikes, other dogs and people. She's been around other children in the neighborhood and is great with them. It's mostly when we leave the house and I'm really nervous to bring her to the off leash park because I'm afraid she may bite out of fear. Should I just take her and see what happens, or is this just a case of taking her out more often for "stimulation" purposes?

are jack russel's fun to have?

biscuit rules — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:32:19 GMT

are jack ruseels fun to have as a pet?

new dog scared of everything!

I<3Molly — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:56:10 GMT

So I just adoped a new dog (Molly) an australian cattle dog/????? and when we tried her out at the shelter she was fine but now that she's home she is scared of everything! and this causes a problem for me cause I show dogs in 4-H and she'll have to be able to adapt to new places (such as the fair this august) do you have any ideas on how to get her to relax? she was not timid at all at the shelter do you think this is just a temporary thing?

leash training an English Bulldog Puppy

kalade73 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:48:28 GMT

I have an 8 week old English bulldog. He is a great guy and doing good in most areas right now like house training and teething. The problem is when we put him on a leash he sits exactly where he is and wont move one inch. I have tried to just stand there and wait for him to move but he is stubborn and after a half hour of standing on the sidewalk i caved. I tried walk him in the house with treat rewards and nothing he could care less. I know he is only 8 weeks old but I dont know what to do right now I am afraid if I dont work on this behavior quickly it is going to get out of hand and there is no way I can carry him around for much longer he already weighs 14 pounds in another two weeks I am done for.. Please anyone help lead me in the direction of fixing this problem. Thanks,

Won't come when called

Bluedog — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:57:42 GMT

I adopted a small ACD about two mo, ago. She is about a yr old. When she escapes out the door she runs and won't come back. She don't go far or fast. But we are fulltime RVers and live in campgrounds all over. I know she needs the exersize but I'm afraid she may go right out into the street and get hit. She has jumped out of the truck door before I could get out or stop her in a Wal-Mart lot it took about 30 min of calling and following to get her back in the truck. HELP Bluedog

Help! My dog hates children!

LoverOfDogs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:20:41 GMT

My dog Sam is a 2 year old Miniature Pinscher/Chihuahua mix and he lunges and tries to bite the ankles of little kids. If the kid is calm and wants to just pet him, he acts all submissive and happy and gives their face a lick and is completely fine. He's like a completely different dog though if a child runs by or is playing with other children. He lunges and growls and scares them. Now I've noticed that he doing it if an adult runs by too. also whenever there is another dog he makes this horrible noise and just seems to go crazy and his eyes go all big and it seems like there is nothing in the world except the other dog and he can't focus on anything. And now the little puppy is picking up on his aggressive energy and has started to growl at other dogs but acts fearful of them at the same time. I spent weeks socializing him and now all of a sudden he seems to have forgotten everything and has become fearful of skateboards, bikes, dogs, cars, loud noises, boats, and horses.

Anyone have any suggestions about this. I would really appreciate your help.

Chewing paws

Celestyal — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:01:22 GMT

Okay, my dog will NOT stop chewing on his paws. I've looked for and irritant, found none, skin looks fine just red from him chewing on them but he's chewed all the fur off between his pads and has recently started chewing the fur off the top of them. It's frustration. The bitter apple stuff only works till he licks it off after we leave the room. Any suggestions? And i do clean them when i bath him.

German Shepherd Mix Scared of Storms, destructive

Malinois — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:20:13 GMT

Daisy, my 2-year-old german shepherd/retriever mix is terrified of thunderstorms and completely freaks out whenever it starts thundering outside. When we're not home we put her outside with her "brother," Bandit. Storms come on really fast here and if she's outside she starts biting, chewing, or digging at the door or the bricks around the entrance to the basement, attempting to gain entrance. So far she's caused about $300 of damage and almost ripped off one of her dew claws.

Tonight, she attacked Bandit for no apparent reason (I think it was over food, but I wasn't there) and he started crying. He was fine and over it in about 30 seconds, but everyone else made a huge deal over it and are seriously considering getting rid of her. I'm willing to do pretty much anything to keep her, but I have no clue as to what I should do. Suggestions?

Trouble teaching "Lie Down"

Zolairty — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:42:24 GMT

My dog is an almost-2-year-old Dachshund/Terrier mix. She is extremely smart, and can learn tricks fast. She's so far learned sit, stay, and come. But, for some reason, she doesn't seem to want to learn "lie down"! I've read many training books, and I go through the hand motions with a treat in my hand, but she continues to sit there.

Any tips or ideas?

Unknown aggressive dog?

mamos — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:33:33 GMT

I was out walking my small breed dog the other day when we were charged by a pit bull from across the street. (Apologies in advance: I realize the term "pit bull" covers a variety of dogs, but I'm not an expert! The dog that charged us looked like the classic pit bull - very big, broad and muscular). The dog was growling, barking and running at us at full tilt, and I had just enough time to turn my myself and my dog around, pick my dog up, and brace to be jumped on by the charging dog. Fortunately, a man out in his yard stepped in between us and the charging dog, yelled, and made the dog run back to her yard, and her owner put her away (apparently the owner lets the dog in the front yard often without a leash).

As someone with a small dog AND small baby, I'm really wondering what if anything I should've/could've done differently in that situation, and what in general I should do if out on a walk and approached again by an aggressive dog. Should I carry a stick? Mace? Nothing?

Thanks for any advice!

I wonder why my friendly dog will back away from a certain person

ShellyM — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:54:01 GMT

I wonder why my dog Marley will back away from a friend who is a dog person, he even jump backwards.
I wonder if anyone has a clue
he is friendly all the time except with this person

Is it possible to......

GSDlover1 — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:19:00 GMT

Own a german shepherd and a bichon frise peacefully and safely??? We have two GSDs. But friends and family say its impossible to own a little bichon and german shepherds and that the GSDs would just eat the bichon. But I don't think that would happen! What do you guys think??

Major Housetraining Advice Needed for 5 Year old Shelter Dog

misscas — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:48:00 GMT

I got a male pug 4 years ago from the animal shelter. I had him fixed within a month. He was 6 months+-. I was taking him out every 30 minutes when I first got him and he would go on command. I would give him a treat. It was evident that he had some training. I did take him thru the first dog training class within 2 months. He excelled. I only had 1 accident in the whole time we were in class. He is sharing the house with myself and a cat (already here). I have made no changes to the living arrangements.

He has chosen various places in the house to do his business over and over. It's more than a marking thing, he dumps his bladder. He does not dump his bladder outside but marks repeatedly. He will move his bowels in the yard but prefers to do this on our daily long walk.

I have tried tons of cleaners but nothing gets out the smell forever. It really reeks. I did try shampooing the carpet over and over. I have put down rugs over his favorite spot and he didn't dirty these up. I did notice a distinctive smell of pee on the chair base over the rug, the leg is discolored and the tacks are turning green. He apparently can aim a little higher and understands what the rug is there for. The carpet is so nasty, it's very difficult to tell if there is any new activity there.

Two years ago, I put in a doggy door and most of the messes in the middle of the rooms stopped unless it's snowing. This dog has no signal to say he is going to pee except the leg going up. He will turn circles a few times before a bowel movement. He doesn't this excitedly when he wants to walk or eat.

Sorry so long. I did see a doggy diaper thing online and am trying this. He wears it like he's used to it immediately (former owner apparently tried this too). I really can't leave this on when I am not home because he lets himself out.

Can anyone recommend a product that will get out the smell and some training tips or suggestions? Remember, pugs are really sensative to heat/cold so he can't be left outdoors for extended periods where I live.

Thank you.

Basset potty training problems

CRacer15 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:08:41 GMT

So I have a 4 mo old Basset Hound (Fred). Fred has learned that when he rings the bell we have attatched to the door, he goes outside to use the potty. He is GREAT at this. HOWEVER, he won't stop going to the bathroom in his crate while we are at work for 5-6 hours during the day. Here is his routine: 530am-wake up and go outside and he uses the restroom. 530a-7a he eats breakfast and drinks his water and plays. Then at 7a my wife takes him outside and he uses the potty. Then he returns to his crate with a toy, his pillow and a small treat. 3pm-she returns from work to find his crate filled with urine and poop. He doesnt care that he sits in it, steps in it, etc etc. Then we take him outside and while he is doing his business I am in cleaning his crate. Then he eats and stays out until 10pm unless he is bad. ANY THOUGHTS/EXPERIENCES would be great. ESP. if they are Basset specific since I heard they are stubborn. PLEASE PLEASE HELP, Fred is a GREAT dog except this minor flaw...and when he poops on the floor around 2am also....PLEASE HELP!

9yr old shepherd scared of cell phone rings

emerald — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:00:58 GMT

My 9yr old german shepherd has all of the sudden gotten afraid of my cell phone ringing! She runs upstairs and won't come down if it rings,even if she is eating!Have tried changing ringer,even vibrate doesn't matter.Even put a Ozzy song on and now whenever it's played on the tv(baseball games ect.)she runs upstairs again!Can't just turn it off,don't know what to do,tried giving treats when it rings,but she is so upset she won't take them either!HELP!!!

Rug Dr Experience in Removing Dog Urine?

misscas — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:55:21 GMT

My house started smelling like a dirty diaper when the weather warmed up recently despite being shampooed with a borrowed carpet shampooer every 3 months or so. I bought a black light and looked around. My little male dog has been going all over. I mean ALL OVER. Does anyone have any experience getting out urine smells/stains with a rug dr rented from the supermarket? What about the Stanley Steamer carpet guys?

Disappoined in Nature's Miracle

misscas — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:11:50 GMT

I used Nature's Miracle on the urine stains by male pug dog has been leaving. This carpet has been shampooed every 3 months regularly but still stinks. Upon using this product as directed, the house reaks like a old dirty diaper. It did nothing for the stains even when scrubbed with a brush.

I got my money back but I wanted to warn everyone not to buy this product.

Pomeranian barking

austin123 — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:26:32 GMT

My pomeranian, bam bam, won't stop barking. I read in a book to ignore him until he stops and learns he won't get attention from barking but it doesn't work. When he starts barking he will bark for hours non-stop. What can I do to make him stop?

Puppy Nipping: What Can I Do

GForce22 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:56:54 GMT

Hi all,

We just adopted an 8-week old mixed-breed. It's an Australian Cattle Dog/Shepherd mix. Sweet most of the time and VERY bright, we have one big problem: She bites.

I know cattle dogs are herders and I expected a bit of nipping, but anytime there's play with her she's biting.

My boys are 6, 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. They want to play with her, but the biting is starting to turn them off. I truly believe she'll be a perfect pup for us if we get her over this biting issue, but I don't know what to do. I know not to crate her as punishment, I don't hit her as a reprimand, and I tell the boys to get up and stop playing with her if she bites. But it's hard for the younger two to get that without feeling afraid of her.

Any advice would be appreciated. I don't want to return her to the shelter, but I can't have her biting my kids either.

Thanks.

My dog wont sleep thru the night

osheamom — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:22:34 GMT

I am the new owner of two cockapoos, Eddie turned 1 in February and he is about 8-9lb. Wolfie will be 1 this June and he is about 20-25lbs. I work full time and both dogs are gated in my kitchen during the day. My home consists of me, my fiance, two kids 11 & 7 and the dogs. We keep them active, play with them, take them out and both dogs sleep with us at night. Eddie has taken now to waking up every two hours at night, all night long and I am going nuts.

I need help! I know he can go 8 hours without having an accident, he does it all day long. Even on the weekends when we are home he still wakes up all night long. What can I do to break this habbit. I know Wolfie would sleep thru the night, he wakes up from Eddie scratching on the door or barking. I am at my wits end and very sleep deprived, especially since my finace seems to be able to sleep thru it every night.

HELP please

Food aggression question

Ralphie's mom — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:45:42 GMT

Ok so latley Ralphie has been getting kind of aggressive towards me about his food. If I go to pet towads his neck up or put my hand in the bowl he gets really stiff, tail goes between his legs, and kind of stops eatting. He never cared before I could put my face in the bowl and eat out of it if I had wanted to. And also if the cat walks by he kinda growls at him. Doesnt growl at me or the other dogs just the cat. When he gets kinda funny towards me about his food I tell him no and take it away and same if he growls at the cat. He doesnt do anything when my husband pets him or puts his hand in his bowl. Why me? Im the one who puts food in his bowl. He doesnt growl or bite me but you dont bite the hand that feeds you ya know? Why would he just start doing this to me, any ideas or suggestions?

Eating Grass???

Stormy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:54:33 GMT

My dog its grass. I have heard that it's supposed to be good for digestion, for stomach problems, and maybe, for a way to get "greens" in his diet.

Jasper woke me up around 5:30 am, and wanted to go out. I took him out and all he wanted to do is eat grass. After staying out with him for a while, without tickling or pooping, I brought him in. Later that morning, I took him out, and again, he went for more grass eating.

I worry about him, because he's a little guy, and love him so much. So, you can imagine how I would really like to get some advice on this behavior.

Thank you all in advance for your help.

Gale

naughty yellow Lab.

Betty — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:28:28 GMT

Yesterday was Mother's Day and my grandchildren came to my house to visit.Our lab. is really well behaved BUT he jumps on the grandkids back and well you know what he does...The little kids he knocks to the ground and the older ones tell me he was hugging me. How can I stop this ? thank you he has to stop this

Help with a dog who barks and tries to go after other dogs & people while walking

Nicki82 — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:32:44 GMT

Ok, I need some advice on what to do with my mini poodle, Oliver. On our walks, he has a major problems with barking and trying to pull after other dogs, and certain people, and he just keeps barking and barking and pulling after them, and it is so hard to control him. He has made some improvements with the people we pass by, but I would like him to be the type of dog that would let other people pet him on the street if they want to. But the problem with other dogs seems to be getting worse, yet at the same he is nice to other dogs at the vets, and doesn't make a peep at them. Can anyone explain what is wrong with him when it comes to other dogs on the street, and would appreciate any suggestions on how I should go about solving the problems I've been having? Thanks.

opening doors

Celestyal — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:22:27 GMT

Okay, my rottie has developed a rather annoying habit of banging my bedroom door open whenever my mother and/or sister leave for work in the morning. (I don't have to be to work till later) I would like to train him not to do this instead of putting a latch on the door. He will also do this if my mother gets in the shower and no one is upstairs with him instead of just going downstairs...any ideas on how to train this new behavoir out. (stuffed animals on fly so far before they become toys)

How to help my dog get used to little kids!

puppychic120 — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:36:43 GMT

Danni lately has been really scared of little kids at the park she doesn't want them to pet her or even touch her.She also gets scared easily of boys girls are a different story.She's wonderful with my 19 month sister Emma will try to sit on her and Danni just tolerates it and licks her to death.She's good with little kids she knows but with strangers she's not.I got her from the shelter when she was 7 months old and I've had her for a little over 2 years the shelter said she was just dropped off do you think she was abused or neglected?How do you think I can help teach her not to be afraid of little kids?Right now I don't really have any volunteer kids to give her treats while they pet her because like I said she's not scared of kids she knows.....Any suggestions?She was okay before and tried to jump on them and got overly excited but now it's just the opposite.

Housetraining an adult dog--HELP!!!

daisy'shuman — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:58:32 GMT

Almost a year ago, we adopted a 14-month old beagle from our local Humane Society. We love her dearly. She is for the most part, housetrained. However, within the last few weeks, she has taken to going number 2 in our dining room. And she chooses to do it in the middle of the night so we never catch her in the act. EVERY morning we wake up the same surprise. (Well, it's no longer a surprise but more of an expectation--an expectation we'd like to get rid of!)

I know they say that catching them in the act is the only way to teach them and if you see the "surprise" after the fact, just clean it up and move on. HOWEVER, there is no chance of us catching her in the act. (Please don't suggest staying up all night and surveilling her. I've busted her on her way to do the deed, and she just stops and runs back to her bed, so I know she won't do it if someone's watching. I mean, come on, I have a day job! :o)

We're going to start putting her in her kennel at night and see if that does any good. I hate the thought of it because she's in there during the day, but we are at our wit's end!

Any suggestions are welcome. THANKS!!!

unwented mating

ontherun2home — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:52:08 GMT

on i have two dogs and they r borther and sister the male tryed to mate with the sister i stoped it but now he will not eat or drunk and its been 2 days what do i do i dont have the money to fix them right now so what do i do

Have you ever taken your dog trick or treating?

ft_admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 14:06:01 GMT

Did they enjoy it? Was it fun?

Sally

help with my dog

James — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:58:18 GMT

can I have some training tips ?

Excessive Barking

lilbabyvenus — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:12:11 GMT

I have a chihuahua who barks at almost everything. At first I thought just leaving her be she would let up on her own. Well after a few days of that I knew that wasn't the answer. I've tried giving her treats and toys to distract her, I've tried putting her in a different room, I've tried reassuring her that she is ok, I've even resorted to squirting her with a water bottle when she won't let up. I don't know what else to do. She barks at noises, at people, at other animals. I thought she was going to break her neck the other day trying to run at and bark at a neighbors dog (the dog was 4 houses away, but she could see it, so she wouldn't let up). Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Advice Needed..

witchspell1 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:37:32 GMT

Four months ago, I adopted a 1 1/2 yr old female purebred Boxer (Harley) from a rescue shelter, who's previous owners couldn't afford to feed her. I have tried everything from wrestling with her, taking her food, bones, toys right out of her mouth, pulling her tail/ears, waking her up and even laying on top of her to be sure she showed no signs of aggression. To me she is the most lovable, docile and obedient dog. Problem is I have two children Bella age 3 and Jillian age 7. When we first got Harley she nipped (I call it nipped because she never came close to breaking skin) at Bella because Bella covered her with her blanket thinking it was cute. After having the long talks with the kids about how to and not to approach Harley, I excused Harley's nip. Harley nipped at Bella another time because Bella climbed over her while Harley was sleeping on the bed. I sought advice and decided Harley was no longer allowed to sleep on any bed, she has her own bed now. I practice the Alpha role and I exercise and train Harley regularly. Now last night Harley nipped at Jillian when Jillian went to hug her. I understand that Harley doesn't have aggression towards the kids, rather she doesn't want to be bothered by them. But shouldn't she be more tolerant of the kids by now? and I'm afraid that one day her nip may actually become a bite. I do not want to give her up, But (of course) the safety of my kids come first. Any advice? Thank you for reading this...

blue heeler pup biting

annaM — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:32:56 GMT

I can't get my puppy to stop biting and being aggressive to my kids. Can I stop it or do I need to get a different dog

a 2 month shiba inu and a 6 yr old shi-tzu

cindygonzalez — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:52:11 GMT

my 6 yr old shi-tzu doesnt want to get along with my 2 month old shiba inu. He trys to attack him. He drools all day and growls at the shiba inu. What should i do so that he can get along with the 2 month shiba inu?

1 year later and I was rejected!

starry*boy — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:06:42 GMT

Okay, remember that dog I was doggysitting about a year and a half ago? Shiba the little poodle/shnazer mix? Well we went to the owner of the dogs house last week and we went there for easter and to look at the year book and I wanted to apologize to the one guy there but I went back to see Shiba. Well she got all excited around my mom and licked her and wagging her tail feriously and it was cute but when it came to her and me...she was scared of me! She started shaking and would back up if I went hear her and the dogs owner (my moms friend) she tried to put shiba in my arms and she ended up fighting it, digging her claws into anything she could to keep away from me.

Needless to say it was a horrible feeling...being rejected by dog that I use to doggysit. I have no idea why she would do that do you guys have and ideas?

Grooming school

Saskans — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:39:43 GMT

Which grooming school wold you recommend me?

I want to run my own business so I want to know everything in this field

Is it possible my late dog's scent is still on the carpets and furniture, and will my new dog smell it??

Nicki82 — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:57:24 GMT

Ok, in a couple of weeks I'm getting a new dog, he is already housetrained, my only worry that he might smell my late's dog's scent on the carpets and furniture, and decide to mark all over the house.Does anyone know how long it takes for a dog's scent to disapper from carpets, furniture and such? My late dog has been gone for a year, and I not sure if his scent is gone or what, after all we have cleaned the carpets, furniture, and such since his death.

Trimming Nails

GSDlover1 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:45:00 GMT

When you guys cut your dog's nails do they still click on the hardwood floor? Because I use scissors and then I file them with a pedi paw but they still click on the floor. I'm afraid to cut the nails to far. The pedi paw works but it's not exactly what I had expected. Can you guys get them short enough so they don't click?

Eating it's poop

lapatt — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:54:55 GMT

I have an 11 week old Shih Tsu puppy and am doing reasonably well house training her by taking he outside in stead of paper training her first. She sleeps through the night and wants to go out first ting in the morning. My problem is that she eats her poop if I am not right on it to clean it up. If I want to put her on her long leash out side, I have to be out there with her at all times. This is not a very good situation, especially first thing in the morning. I was hoping to eventually just put her out and bring her in after about 10 or 15 minutes. Is this a temporary thing or will she always do this?