Dog Channel / All About Dogs / Dog Behavior and Training

Jealous much!!

muttlover17 — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:12:51 GMT

do your dogs ever get jealous? my dogs get jealous if i spend too much time with just one of them.the other one will start nudging me and licking me.if that doesn't work he'll try to push the other dog away.if THAT doesn't work he'll tackle me to the ground.i end up laughing and he gets the attention he wants

Why do dogs DO that?

Turbo K9 — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:47:56 GMT

Let's try trivia of a different sort! Let's see who knows what's what when it comes to why dogs do different things...

1st question! Are you ready!

When dogs are in a defensive posture (like we see so often on AFV) why is it that when they have their lips back and teeth exposed, they tend to salivate and repeatedly flick the tongue forward against their teeth?

Dog Aggression Towards Children

amr23 — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:54:38 GMT

My dog, Gringa, a 1 1/2 yrs mixed breed I adopted as a puppy, is very well behaved on a leash, and is quite obedient with me and her (human) daddy without a leash. She had several months of obedience training and is very active. However, she has an unexplained aggression towards children. She has, on multiple occassions, growled and barked at children. She has not been around them, as I do not have children of my own. I am not one who believes in keeping a dog in a muzzle nor on a leash at all times, but I´m afraid that, without the ability to subject children to a training regiment with her, that I will have no choice. Suggestions VERY MUCH appreciated.

Separation Anxiety Tips Please

quakerbaby — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:44:46 GMT

Hello all

I am currently working at a Humane Society and I recently fell in love with a dog there. His name is Lucky and he is a 7 year old St. Bernard-Sheppard cross. He is a VERY big boy.

He is EXTREMELY well behaved BUT.... has separation anxiety... in the form of destructive chewing.

I have read a lot about it and think that I may be able to handle it... but I just wanted some extra first hand tips if possible.

Thanks in advance

I need help with my bull terrier!

sweetsissy825 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:51:35 GMT

I am a new bull terrier owner, and while I have had dogs all my life this is the first time I have had a bull terrier. My boyfriend grew up with one but he was quite young when they got there pet and wasn't old enough to remember how they trained him with their other dog. His name is Boss and he just turned 8 months old and up until a month ago he was our only dog. Then due to financial reasons my boyfriend and I moved in with my parents that have 3 small children and a 9 year old female basset hound/pointer mix, Disney. On three occasions now Boss has just started attacking Disney. The first occasion was when I was pouring food for the both of them and I can understand at that point it is a dominance issue. I started researching then how to go about dealing with that but hadn't gotten very far into my research before he attacked her again on a separate day and again the very next day, both times appeared to be without any obvious reason. Now we keep them separated. They take turns going outside and eating. I don't want my dogs too live like this, they don't deserve it. But I don't know what to do. My first thought was obedience training but how do I find a good trainer with experience with the bully breeds and not just some crap pot? I don't even know where to start! Please any advice would be welcome! Thank you all!

Trained Dogs - Offensive/Guard Dogs

kimandvicky — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:02:17 GMT

Hello

I picked up the "German Shepard Dog (GSD)" magazine today, trying to gain a further understanding of the breed I have chosen to purchase.

As a result I have a few questions I was hoping someone could answer:

1 - I don't want to buy from a Puppy Mill type breeder. I have researched some trainers (providers) of guard dogs on the Internet. Only a few have websites, and only a couple of those looked respectable. Anyone have a recommendation? In the continental U.S. that is.

2 - I can't decide whether it would be better to rescue a German Shepard, or buy one that the training company offers. I have rescued several animals in the past, but have not tried to get formal training for a rescue pup.

3 - Are the trained guard dogs really as good as people make them out to be? I.E., live with cats, listen to the humans, etc...

Sorry for so many questions, I just like to thoroughly know what I am getting into prior to spending thousands of dollars on a pup.

Thanks.

Vicky

Puppy Mill Dog

Scorpio6616 — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:01:19 GMT

I have adopted a dog that had spent her entire life in a cage and was treated very badly. The ASPCA and other agencies raid this mill and rescused many cats and dogs. I adopted one of these dogs and she is a mess, she was never out of her cage and really doesn't know how to walk on a leash and she is afraid of her own shadow. If she hears another dogs she goes into panic mode. I have only had her for about 3 weeks and she won't came to me or anybody for that matter. She doesn't even know what a treat is and she won't eat any. She comes out of her crate, but if she sees me she goes back to either her bed (which is right next to the crate) or in the crate. She is not housebroken and I walk her at least 3times a day, but she still has accidents and I don't know how to reward her for doing her business in the street instead of in the house. I know I have my hands full with this situation, but I am hoping I can beat the odds and turn this thing around. I would greatly appreciate any and all the help I can get, thanks in advance.

Nail clipping game

Celestyal — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:37:59 GMT

My dog thinks that clipping his nails is a game. After we get one nail clipped its a race to who can get the clipped nail first. If he gets it he eats it but if we get it it's near impossible to get another nail because he's so excited. He starts squirming and won't let us have his paw. Either way he only lets us get one paw a day. There has got to be a easier way of doing this, any help would be appreciated.

Help 1 yr old cocker will not housebreak

b281980 — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:54:13 GMT

I have a pure bred 1 year old cocker spaniel and I have tried everything to housebreak him, and nothing has worked. Can someone give me some advice? Is this a common problem with cockers?

This really upsets me =(

shihtzulover — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:46:52 GMT

A family member of mine has a standard poodle and a brown teacup pomeranian. She had company over and her dad took them for a walk. A house they past during every walk lives a german sheppard and he is usually in a fence or on a leash. This time he wasnt...he ran out and the dad dropped boo-boo's (pomeranian)'s leash and he ran away from the sheppard as dad tried to protect poodle. The german sheppard caught up with boo-boo and took his whole head in his mouth and shook him. Dad asked the owner of the sheppard to drive him and the dogs home back to their mom...he didnt want to at first. jerk! boo-boo died on the way home
Now they are putting the sheppard to sleep...and getting sued.

This is awful i would be devastated. I think people should associate their pets more as puppys. This really makes me mad.....this shouldnt happen!!

But he's / she's my baby!

Turbo K9 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:47:11 GMT

A few weeks ago I had taken Harley with me to a local coffee shop. Nobody else was sitting outside, and being a fairly wide open area, I started working him in off lead OB drills. We were having a great ole' time. Suddenly I heard a little yapping noise, and 'downed' Harley. I dropped to one knee beside him, and rested a hand on his collar as an older lady came sauntering around the corner with a Toy Poodle on a leash.

Barely on a leash. This this was like a furious 4 legged pirhana, a spastic little nuclear powered fuzz ball of death. The woman stopped about 8 feet away from me and began to chat 'dogs', like people often do when the encounter another person with a dog. Most, however, are not flailing their 'leash' arm about as if flying a kite in a tornado.

"Yap yap yap yap yap yap yap yap" - "Grrrrrrrr" - "yap yap...."

I swear, if she had let go, this thing would have bored a hole straight through poor Harley's ribcage in the blink of an eye. Talk about designer breeds, a Pirhanoodle!

Keep in mind, now, Harley is about 80 lbs of pure muscle and energy. And he is SHAKING. Eyes focused on that little beasty of a dog, ears pricked straight forward, shaking. Only the occasional motion of his eye toward me, as if to ask "can I? Please?" broke his intense stare. He was good. Never tried to break his down.

So, here's this woman, oblivious to that fact that her 5 lb (if that) fuzzball with teeth, is really beginning to grate on this 80 Lb Dobermann's last nerve. His owners too! When suddenly, my ears, politely catching every other word and telling my head to nod and mouth to go "uh huh", suddenly catch the words... "he's my baby."

WHAT! Ummm no, he isn't. He's your little bully brat with an attitude problem.

"You aren't a parent are you?" I asked. It was the first real words I had spoken. She looked a little taken aback by the question.

"no.." she answered, tentatively.

"Ma'am, I don't mean to be rude, but if either of my boys got up in another kids face, and started hollering and screaming and threatening to beat up that kid, they'd get disciplined, to put it mildly."

She stared at me for a moment, her face going through the gamut of human emotion, looked at her dog, yoinked him in to her side, and began a scolding session that burned ears for miles around.

The moral of the story? You may consider your dog to be your child. I treat my dogs such at times. But we must remember, that the responsibilities for their behavior, are no different in such a case, then the responsibilty a parent has for a child's behavior. Do not claim your dog is your child, if you let him / her get away with things that you would not tolerate from a child. To do so, is to do a disservice to your dog, and to everyone around you.

I don't let my kids jump on strangers. Neither do I allow my dogs. My kids are disciplined for bullying and rude behavior, as are my dogs.

The result? A pleasant, safe experience for us, and everyone we encounter.

If your dog tends to get unruly at times, do your community a favor, do your dog a favor, and by all means, treat him / her like your child. Set, and enforce, rules for behavior.

Just something to think about

Need help!!

malinois4life — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:51:34 GMT

Hi my name is Seyonah. Lets start off ok.My dog has agression to big dogs.One time a bog dog attack my dog. She was passing then the big dog fought my dog was a toy.My mom and dad were try to get the dog off my dog.When dog stoped I rushed her to the vet.She ended up haveing 3 boken ribs.How do i get her to be nice to big dogs?

Dog won't bring toys back

Myblacklab — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:15:30 GMT

He will go after them and will grab them but won't bring them right up to me and let me talk it right out of his mouth. If I try he will turn his head quickly and will evently run off. Help?

Pulling on the Lead

airborngirl — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:41:09 GMT

Hi, I'm new here to dogchannel. I am active on the bird and cat channel forums, so I might recognize a few of you here!

A couple of weeks ago, my sister adopted a year old prevously neglected and abused pug/beagle cross. Since I am the "animal" person of this house, I have been assigned to the duty of training this uneducated and confused dog. She is very sweet, but is terrified of men with buzz cuts. She is a very fast learner though! So far we are working through the My Smart Puppy (Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson) level 1 chapter, and it is going very well.

We have a terrible leash pulling problem though. She throughs herself into the lead, rears up, and flips over backwards when she reaches the end of the lead. The vet told us she has fragile wind pipes, so this obviously is not good for her (or whoever is walking her!).

I've tried leading her with a treat, and that does not help at all. She is very food motivated, so I'm trying not to give her too many treats. When she thinks she should get a treat she will start nipping my hand or scratching me with her paw. I've been using treats as lures for "sit" and "down" but she concentrates on following the treat, paying no attention to what she is doing or what I am asking.

What are my options then? I really don't like the prong or slip collars because these might hurt her wind pipes. A friend of mine swears by the gentle leader, but I'm concerned it will stay on her short muzzle. Below is a picture of her profile. Do you think a head collar could help her? Any ideas? Thanks!

Shock collar VS E collar

Turbo K9 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:30:19 GMT

I just finished some reading some of the posts that have gone up over the last few months... and was not suprised to see there are still soooo many misconceptions when it comes to shock collars / ecollars. I thought I would clarify a few facts, explain the differences between the two, and why an e collar is not an inhumane tool of electric doggy torture, but rather a useful tool for anyone who needs to accomplish off lead response.

First let us look at the difference between Shock Collars and E Collars... I HATE the words "Shock Collar". It's 2008, not 1972, people! Shock Collars were an early form of E Collar, initially developed not for dog training, but for a single purpose. If anyone here can call their off lead dog off of chasing a deer in the middle of the woods, on a single command, from 1/4 mile away, please raise your hand. I'm guessing maybe two went up, LOL. THAT is what the original E Collar was for, breaking a hunting dog off large game such as deer. Breaking through that fixation, that super-stimulated drive to chase and capture a prey object. Anyone with a drivey dog knows, this is not something that is easily accomplished, and that due to the danger a large game animal can pose to a dog, a good zap to break the dog out of the encounter is easily the lesser of two evils.

Hunting dog owners LOVED the immediate response and effectiveness. They loved the ability to get the dog out of danger, out of the way of hooves, antlers, bullets.... Under the circumstances, not much thought went into 'well geeze it HURTS!' because they were only using it to save the dog, not to mold it's behavior.

Well, along come some whiz-bang 'dog trainers' who couldn't train a dog to breath. And they see this thing, and they see the potential. They see how easy it is to use it to get a dog to comply with it. And, they start using it... but not as a training tool. Compulsion is not training, rather they develop methods for using compulsion through pain stimulation to condition a dog. Ouch.

A few more years go by, and as they pick up in popularity, other people with clearer ideas on how dogs learn, and how to teach them, start modifying the Shock Collar. And? You get the E Collar. A properly fitted and adjusted E COllar gives an electrical stimulation that is similar to licking a nine-volt battery. They are capable of shocking, but are not intended to be used in such a manner. The higher settings are for emergencies, like if your do has his teeth locked onto the neighbors cat. You can give him a healthy ZOT and yes, he WILL drop the cat. But, in training, the setting should be only high enough to elicit the slightest reaction from the dog, such as a twitch of the ear, or a glance toward you.

What we basically have is another tool that has been maligned and mislabeled by people because they are so often improperly used. I use them quite often, and my dogs get EXCITED when they see the collars come out. They know it means off leash work, off leash OB, off leash running and jumping and good, good times .

I have used nearly every available training tool. To date, the E Collar, bluntly and simply put, is the only one I have found that you cannot use to kill a dog. Think about that. Even with extreme misuse, any injury is superficial only. Try misusing a choke collar, Or even a flat collar, on a correction. You can crush the dogs trachea. A harness can cause internal injuries if you get super harsh on it. A Halti or gentle leader? Not so gentle if you swing the dog around by it. And yes, I have seen people do all these things, thinking they knew how to train a dog. Luckily I was always able to put a stop to it before serious injury.

Now, before you jump up and down and scream at me that you never use physical corrections, let me say 'yes you do'. If your dog has EVER hit the end of his leash running, that is a correction. Consider that for a moment.

Now, let's look at the Ecollar as a training tool. Over the last few years we have really gotten into the treat/positive reward systems. That is great!! But, it also presents a problem. Treat reward, or any training system involving conditioning a dog through bait and reward as the only methodology, is nothing but simple operant conditioning. Stimuli, response. Stimuli, response. Biscuit over dogs head, dog sits because he looks up, reward... dog learns what 'sit' means and that he gets a biscuit when he does it... Great! But, what did you just do? You, through use of a stimuli, compelled to dog into a pre ordained response... There is no thought, no decision, the dog sits only because of the biscuit over his head. He doesn't 'understand' sit... he becomes conditoned, so he hears 'sit' and... just does it.

Now... introduce stimulation to another drive such as prey, or even sex... and what you do is now put the dog into a position where he must choose. Introduce chaos and you loose control. 'Sit', dog's butt hit the ground, the conditioned response is fulfilled, and wham he's after that squirrel. All of your training to date has been through he use of involuntary responses. To train a dog to be solid to commands under heavy distractions, you must teach him to make the proper decisions.... Yup, your dog is capable of CHOOSING a course of action. This is where the Ecollar makes a great tool. It gives the dog, if used properly, not pain, but mild discomfort. CHOOSE. Praise for a correct action, discomfort for an incorrect one. Something to NOT like. It lends a mild consequence for innapropriate action or behavior. At higher levels of OB and other types of training, this is VERY important. You can also use it as a tool without the need to be physically connected to the dog, which in some disciplines is valuable beyond words.

Sure, you don't HAVE to use one, and I don't advocate that anyone does. To each their own. The reason I have written this is to hopefully help some people see the reason why E Collars exist, what they are for, and that if properly used, they are gentle solutions to sometimes pretty severe problems.

Free group training, Southern Maryland

Turbo K9 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:03:39 GMT

Hello all!

I'm not 'back', as I have very little time nowadays for web stuff, but wanted to let everyone know that if you live in Southern Maryland, and are interested in training from beginning to advanced OB and beyond, I am starting a free weekend group training club for local folk.

If anyone is in the area and is interested, message me.

For those that don't know me, some of the long-timers on the board such as RainsMom can vouch for my knowledge on training.

Looking forward to maybe hearing from some peoples!

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!

Coming back when called

Zaskia — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:28:55 GMT

Hi, I've got an 9 months old Cavalier and I'm not sure about how well he is doing at coming back. He can sit, lie down, stay and even leave a treat put right in front of him when told but when I walk him off lead he can sometimes be quite bad.

He's been walked off lead since he was 3 months old (after he got all his shots) and so far he'll come back when there is no one around or after he's said hello to other dogs. He doesn't chase cyclists or joggers either which I'm quite pleased about but if he spots a dog he hasn't said hello to yet or if he did a while ago he will sprint to it and no matter what I do will not come back until he is satisfied.

I've been training him by rewarding him with a treat when he comes back and not showing any anger/irritation if he doesn't. Is it because he is still young that he does that or should I try a different method to train him?

I'll be getting a new puppy in a few months and would really like him to be a good example as well as safe.

Thank you for any advice!

10wk old yorkie/min pin plays too rough

boognishlady — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:57:45 GMT

Bink is a yorkie/ min pin and he is 10 weeks old. He's gotten so playful and perky, but it is starting to get out of control. He seems to only be interested in biting a toy, my hand, my pant leg, my sleeve. When he bites at my hands i can distract him with a toy most of the time, or i say, "no" firmly and usually he stops. Its when I am putting down fresh paper or cleaning up toys that he gets really playfully agressive.

He's not like that with other people though, when he meets a new person, he always greets the same, ears down and head down tail wagging. very submissive. but he is not at all submissive with me, he just gets too 'bitey' sometimes.

How can I curb the biting?

Check out these legs!

Scared of Other Dogs

MissDoggie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:26:03 GMT

My Miniature Schnauzer, Petisa has a tendency to get scared easily, and she is very fearful of other dogs, even ones that are smaller than she is. She puts her ears back, shows the whites of her eyes, and slinks away. (She is very expressive, you can always tell when she's scared!) Is there any quick way to cure this? She does not show any agression, just fear. She also gets jealous when I pet other dogs.

friendly nipping

friskiemax — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:49:45 GMT

Hi all. I recently adopted a male 10 month old Standard Poodle. Max is very bright, happy, and well loved. Just attempting to provide a little background. All in all he is a good boy, but nips & jumps at people visiting, including at my husband and 2 kids (mid-teens). We also have a dachshund, who is frightened by Maxie.

I've tried the 1) ignoring, 2) clothes pins in a can, 3) spray bottle, and 4) holding his snout. Nothing is working. Please help. Looking forward to any and all suggestions.

Thank you

Max's Mom

Unexpected Dog Agression

outcast13 — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:44:15 GMT

For the first time about a week ago Poppy Bared his teeth at a dog who is A 6 month old, Neutered, 90lb Newfoundland. At first I was so shocked so I just pulled back on his leash. The Puppy was only trying to play with him and he is fine with the neighbors other female Newfoundland. At first I thought Poppy was mabye being agressive because he thought the older newf was her female. Then just about 15 min. ago I was taking care of my neighbors puggle (Female) and he got ahold of the toy. I didn't see who growled first (that was my fault, I should have been watching closer) but Poppy had the toy in his mouth and when she got too close, Poppy barred his teeth. I imidiantly corrected him and he did it again. So I re-corrected him and waited, then I took the toy. So my question is: Did I do the right thing? and How do I deal with it? I've heard so much about Territorial agression before but it just goes in one ear and out the other because We never had this problem before. Agression of any kind is not appropriate here.

Edit: Btw if it helps, Poppy's a 2 year old, Neutered, 12lb, Schauzer/Poodle Hybrid

dominance problem between our husky and potential adoptee husky

frednkaren08 — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:53:28 GMT

I have a 4 year old female Husky. She has been the only dog in our home for the last 4 years. We recently decided to get another Husky and found a 3 year old male. We met at the park the other day to see how the two dogs would interact together. For the most part, things seemed to go okay as their tails were up and they didn't show their teeth or growl at one another. However, our dog Amore did nip at the male and then later on the male was lying down and Amore went to get on top of him which he clearly didn't like as he turned and snapped at her. After snapping at her, he stopped, didn't continue showing teeth or growling but we're concerned that if we adopt him there will be a constant battle for dominance between the two. Was this behavior normal? If we do adopt him, will they end up getting into a huge fight that will end with one or both dogs being taken to the vet? I would appreciate and tips, suggestions, personal experiences, etc. that anyone can give. Thanks.

please help i don't know wat my dog is trying to say...

puppiesarecute — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:19:40 GMT

hi, i'm new here so i don't really know how to start off. anyway, here goes.

two days ago, i was walking my 7 month old maltipoo. then, a german sheperd and a doberman(my dog met her once before) came up to us, both very calm and friendly. they sniffed my dog one at a time. the whole time they were smelling him, my dog just barked and growled just a little, but didn't attack, luckily.

also, the day before that, my dog and i were in the park, were there was about 5-7 other dogs. he also started barking.one of the owners said to let him off leash. so i did. the second i let him off, he stopped barking and started socializing with all the other dogs just fine.

can u guys tell me wat is wrong please, i really want to know wats goin on... thanks

Slipping The Collar

DaizeMae-PreciousPearl — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:03:21 GMT

Normally I allow my dog to run the property (its over a 100 acres succluded in the middle of nowhere) but with hunting season i usually try to keep her tied, but we've come to the problem that she has the ability to slip her collar. I've tried normal cloth collars with the plasic buckle/clip, and she slips those with ease, plasic hunting collars that the dogs aren't supposed to be able to slip, but she finds a way, and we've even tried chocker collars, but occasionally she still finds a way to slip those, and i'm not quite sure how. Most interestingly enough she also found a way to slip a dog harness... I'm also rather curious to know how to manages to slip a harness, but a leather and a nylon variety. An explaination of how she manages to do this, or any suggestions about how to prevent this would be helpful. (we have a kennel, but she doesn't like to be contained inside it for too long and we prefer her to be out and running instead of contained inside so much) She is a larger labrador retriever also if that might have anything to do with it.

WHY MY DOG DOES THIS

NYJOE — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:46:06 GMT

I HAVE A DOG PART COLLIE AND PART LAB.WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS WHY HE LAYS HIS HEAD AND NECK ACROSS MINE.IN THE MORNING WHEN HE WANTS ME UP,OR EVEN WHEN HE IS LAYING WITH OUR OTHER DOG HE WILL PUT HIS HEAD AND NECK ACROSS OUR NECKS. THANKS

Blue Heeler is snapping at my husband and young child...HELP

M.A.B — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:28:13 GMT

We just currently adopted a 3 year old blue heeler, he is a really good dog except he his snapping at my young child and husband and we are having a difficult time getting him to stop. He is also chasing my cats and trying to bite them, i don't know what to do!! We go for lots of walks and play for hours in the backyard, but it seems he may just be nervous around them, like when they make sudden movements. Thanks ahead for all who respond.

how exactly do you socialize two dogs to live together properly?

puppiesarecute — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:29:22 GMT

hey guys, i'm thinking of getting another puppy, but not this soon (still working on first one). I was thinking of getting a pom.

Their description says: could get along with other dogs if introduced properly.

So my question is. How exactly do u introduce two dogs properly??

Having a bit of trouble here!

MissMolly-Lover — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:46:30 GMT

Alright so the other day we bought Molly a little kiddie pool since its getting hot. The thing is its the perfect size and all its just that Molly won't get in and stay in. The only way I can get her to go in is by throwing little rocks in there and she jumps in with curiosity. Then she dips her head under the water picks up the little rock and brings it out of the pool and lays down in the dirt! She repeatedly does that until all the little rocks are out then she doesn't go back in the pool at all. I just want her to go in the pool freely and lay down in it or play but she won't! And now she only uses the pool to drink out of! Any tips on getting her to go in?

Need to help my pit

LuvMyPitBull90 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:29:57 GMT

Hello, i have a 2 year old pitbull purebred. When we first got him when he was a puppy and had him ever since. when he was a puppy we took him to the dog park and everything was fine till this lab attacked him for no reason. after then he has had fear/agression towards other dogs he plays with two other dogs and when he first meets up with them he pins them on their back and does the whole domanice thin but after that he is fine. he is good with puppies im just iffy if i should i expose him to other dogs ino this can be fixed just how are the ways to like rehabalit him? i want to give my dog the best life possible and ino if i fix this he can have dogie friends and have fun. with people he is ok he just gets a little to rough and annoying sometimes. but overall i think he is a good dog so if any trainers or other pit owners can help that would be great.

dog's favorite trick

sandy — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:14:49 GMT

Corky- my lab-dobie mix gives hugs - when I am on the floor playing with him, he will sit - put both paws on my shoulders and lift his face to me in a grin just waiting for me to rub his tummy! I believe he loves doing this because he adores having his belly rubbed.

Casey- my choc lab (aka chow hound) will give one paw - then other paw then a roll over without command if she thinks a treat might be forth coming!

what's your dogs favorite trick????

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?

Barking and somewhat agressive dog (need help)

bananazgolikewoop — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:54:46 GMT

Hi everyone, I'm new-- but I need help with my 5-month old Pitt Bull/Boxer mix puppy, And I don't think it's really easy to solve.
Well, you see, my family found her on the road near the rest'raunt where my dad works.
Since then she'd been a pretty good dog.
..Until about 3 days ago (or so). One morning there was a loud noise in the house from my dad hitting the wall (I think he tripped on something).
All of a sudden, I'm woke up to, "AWOOOWOOORUUURWOOOOO!" And a screaming dog and fussing family. It took both me, and my parents to calm Cookie(the puppy) down, and when it was over that first time, my dad ended up with a bloody wound on his hand from a bite.
Okay, let's skip to the most recent "panic attack".
I was simply headed into the living room, and was too lazy to move the fan from the doorway so I decided to step over. (Lol, I'm lazy ) Anyways, as soon as I get one, ONE foot over, not a half-inch away from the ground, ...guess it... BOOM. My dog started barking like crazy. I had to hide behind the door because she was trying to ram her way in a bit. My mom, whom was also in the room, proceeded to spank her butt to make her stop. bad idea , She starts barking at mom. So she has to, get this, fight the dog...with a broom.
I'm really worried what might happen if my dog happens to have an outburst on the bed while one of us are on it.
Some, PLEASE HELP!
EDIT: She is also known to attack our other two dogs (Italian greyhounds) and I'm worried she may kill them..
~A worried banana....

my dogs so lazy

kryna8 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:17:01 GMT

Please help me my dog never plays shes a yellow lab and is very lazy and shes 7 years old (in human years)

INDOOR & OUTDOOR DOG

wkporter09 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:13:00 GMT

We have an labrador retriever that lives outside all the time. We are currently considering getting a miniature schnauzer to keep inside. Would this be okay considering the lab must stay outside? Would it affect him?

Rascal and house training

Shasta — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:15:48 GMT

I'm trying to house train Rascal I have had him for 1 month and my mom is threating to give him away he is only 2 months old and she thinks he should already be house trained.Rascal will go outside when I can get him there to pee but will come in and poop in the floor.My sister says to rub his nose in it but that is gross.My Aunt did it whit the dog she gave me and thats how she got him to go outside and he is know house trained.

Bolting + Escaping

sleepylizard — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:25:11 GMT

We just got our new Jack Russel a few days ago. We are familiar with the breed and their crazy energy and hunting instincts. But this girl is OBSESSED with chasing lizards. She loves to chase them, she would all day if she could. When she isn't chasing lizards she is standing at the window intently looking for lizards. When it is dark and she cannot see the wild anoles she comes into my room and terrorizes my reptiles. Anyways this has fueled her to bolt and/or escape by any means possible.

The other day I left out the back of our house to take her for a walk. We circled around to the front and came back inside. After i took her off the leash i noticed that i forgotten to shut the back door. Evidently she noticed too because she took off like a greyhound immediately, and led us on a super fun sprint around our neighborhood. After which i had to use several inhalers for my asthma ><

On the very same day not 2 hours later i took her back outside for a bathroom break. She spotted a lizard out in the open and gave chase. I have a retractable leash and she she reached the end of it. the collar from the rescue group just snapped right off (taking her ID# with it) and so we had another super fun chase.

We have a large fenced in yard that I'd like to be able to let her run around in but i know i would never be able to get her back inside because she is still learning come. I do know she would defiantly try to escape under the fence even with the chicken wire. My health has been horrible lately so i can't afford many more super fun chases.

Anyone have any suggestions?

My Dog Doesn't Jump

Emile — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:50:04 GMT

My dog is a 3 years-old miniature schnauzer. She can't jump up onto the bed or onto the couch and had trouble going up the stairs until about 3-4 months ago. Do you think that i should try to train her at all. The only reason i ask is because it can be annoying at times and my next door neighbor's miniature schnauzer is only one and can jump onto all our furniture with ease.

Uncontrollable

luvsdogsinaz — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:07:59 GMT

We have a mixed breed 1 yr. old spayed female that we rescued from the pound when she was about 8 wks old. We were told that she was a mix of Chow, Shepherd and Rottweiler by the personnel at the pound. Our own vet believes she probably also has some Labrador or Setter or both, as well, and she looks more like an Irish Setter than any of the others. She is extremely high energy and so we try to walk her as often as possible. The problem is she gets crazy, she doesn't walk she hops around, constantly turning and trying to get the leash in her mouth or even grab it with her paws, which just tangles her up. She is spinning and jumping and carrying on like there's no tomorrow. As a young puppy she was doing well on the leash and we were able to housebreak her quite easily. As she got bigger she started pulling and tugging, wanting to sniff everything. We worked with her and got that under control and then about 2 months ago she started this craziness. It doesn't take long before we are worn out from this constant jumping around. God forbid there are people around, she goes nuts. She loves people and gets so excited at the sight of someone new she'll dribble all over. I've had my neighbors come over just so that we could work with her on this. She will calm down as long as they ignore her and everybody stays seated but as soon as the conversation gets animated or someone gets up to get a drink or something we have to start all over. We can't expect our guest to sit in one position and not move while they are visiting. She actually does very well with other dogs. She'll obey commands for about 2 seconds and then she's over the top again unless we stand right over her. She doesn't bite or growl, she just wants to play and play and play. It's like a game to her. She doesn't even seem to care about being petted, she just wants to play. It's funny because around other dogs she acts like we want her to act around people but with people she tries to get them to chase her and play like another dog would. She just never stops. Does anyone have a suggestion....besides drugging her? We've tried every kind of collar, chokers, gentle leaders etc. etc.

bullie dog

wizerstar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:09:19 GMT

I cant just get rid of one of my dogs like some people have said to do