Written by Nat Smith, Rover.com community member. Rover is the nation’s largest network of 5-star pet sitters and dog walkers. They say that dog owners live happier, longer lives. One big reason? Dogs can help you get out more often, stick to your workouts, and stay upbeat while you’re at it. How can your pet […]
Many dogs are sent to shelter home due to their anxiety problems that develop due to hyperactivity. On the other hand, dogs that are brought home from animal shelters have behavior issues like barking, digging, destructive chewing, etc. The problem, in both cases, is not with dogs but with the owners who fail to provide enough opportunities to their Fido to invest their pent-up energies positively.
Did you ever think of trying out some calming exercises for your pooch? Here are three ways to tone down the excessive energy of dogs:
Doga has calming effects on both the dog owner and the pooch. Although dogs are not able to imitate the stretches and poses of their yogi owners, still they feel calm at the end of a yoga session. The bonding between the owner and the dog gets stronger. The owners are able to better understand their Fido’s body language. They will be able to train the pooch in a more calm and controlled manner.
Doga helps dogs invest their energies in calming exercises. Your pooch will feel relaxed after doga class. Try it out for your anxious and hyperactive dog.
Unfamiliar situations and environments, as well as haphazard routines, are known to create confusions in the pooch’s mind. It may create anxiety that will lead to destructive chewing and excessive barking, etc.
Dogs enjoy following routines. They feel uncomfortable when their set schedule is not followed. Routines help a dog wait for the play, walk or exercise time patiently. Consistency in daily routine activities will keep the pooch relaxed. Are you following the routine of your dog?
Sometimes dog owners do not maintain routine of giving food to the pooch. Whether you serve raw dog food or dry kibble, maintain a fixed time. One day giving food via treat dispensing toys and the other day in food bowls can also upset the little pooch. Dogs need surety about everything. Or else, they stay anxious whether they will have it or not!
If you are an adventure lover, your dog can feel anxious in unfamiliar places. To maintain the familiarity, take the Fido’s favorite chewing cloth that has your scent and of home. Give him a chew toy, familiar bowl, familiar bed, and blanket to stay calm and comfortable at unknown places or new home.
Some dogs are not hyperactive but are rather intelligent dog breeds. They need something for their mental stimulation. Find out some puzzles, buster cubes, interactive toys, Kongs to keep the pooch busy during your absence. Stuff them with their favorite treat so they may stay motivated to solve the puzzle.
Whether it’s a thunderstorm or fireworks that makes your pooch anxious and restless, it will not worry your Fido anymore. Simply, turn on some soft music in the room. A study conducted by Physiology and Behavior says that dogs feel relaxed and calm when the sound of soft rock or reggae fills the room. During unfamiliar situations or stressful ones, playing the soothing soft rock music will definitely improve your dog’s behavior.
Before you decide to leave your cute cuddle ball in an animal shelter, consider trying these tricks to calm his nerves. Sometimes, medications work for toning down dog’s anxiety.
Would you like being left alone for your bad behaviors that developed due to certain circumstances other had created for you?
Zuca was a pregnant stray when she was taken in by an animal welfare agency in Oregon. All her puppies were adopted, and eventually so was Zuca. This sweet pup became best friends with a cat named Stout in her new forever home. Sadly, Stout passed away and Zuca was depressed…until her human mom Ronda […]
via Heartwarming Video: Rescue Dog Fosters Dozens of Kittens — FACE Foundation
Every dog parent strives to raise a behaviorally balanced dog, but most of them end up asking what’s wrong with my dog? We, accidentally, promote some unwanted behaviors in our dogs.
A lot of dog parents encourage unwanted behaviors because they find it cute. If the behavior has been rewarded for a long time, it becomes difficult to change it.
As it takes double to effort to ‘untrain’ a dog, so it’s best to avoid encouraging these six behaviors in dogs:
The nipping or biting habit is encouraged at puppy stage when the pooch is teething. As a dog parent, you should take appropriate measures to avoid prolonging of nipping behavior past the teething stage. If we let this behavior continue, the adult dog will find it acceptable to communicate through teeth and skin. A puppy’s nip doesn’t hurt. It can be ignored due to the cuteness of the puppy. But, when the adult dog plays rough by biting the skin, it becomes unbearable and difficult to stop.
It is best to curb the behavior at a young age by making loud, painful sounds whenever the puppy nips and bites your hand. You can distract him with chew toys. You can ignore the pup for a while after he bites you so that he learns his lesson and suppress the bitey behavior.
Dogs that get what they want when they bark for toys or food learn ‘demand barking’ behavior. The dog owners support the bossy behavior by paying heed to him when he barks. Most of the dog owners listen to barking dogs only to stop the noise. But, it trains them negatively to behave harshly rather than politely to get something.
To curb such demanding behavior, train him to sit down whenever he wants something. Make him calm down and sit before you serve food, give a chew toy, toss the ball, etc. If he barks at you due to impatience, walk away and do not concede to his demands.
Dogs usually jump up in excitement as you enter the house. We nurture the dog jumping behavior with equal excitement, laughter, and pats of encouragement. But, when a large breed dog grows up, his jumping behavior can cause injury. In case of small dogs, the behavior can be hurtful when a new baby arrives. The jumping up of dog can be irritating if you are leaving for a meeting and the dog messes up your shirt.
To avoid jumping up of dogs, simply ignore his leaps when you return home. When the dog calms down, pat and hug him for his nice behavior. It will train him to avoid the overexcited behavior.
Anti-social behavior develops when your puppy or dog returns shivering after having an interaction with other dogs, and you hug him instantly to provide protection. This encouraging hug will stimulate him to behave fearfully every time he comes in contact with other people or dogs. There can be other reasons for a shivering dog, so understand the cause before you respond.
To avoid anti-social behavior, encourage your dog for interacting with other dogs. Give him treats or a pat on the back every time he interacts and plays with other pets in the park. This will boost his confidence to make new friends everywhere he goes.
If your dog continuously pulls on the leash as you go for a walk, then it’s a behavior that should be discouraged. Otherwise, the dog will consider the leash around its neck to be a trigger for pulling on it and moving forward. It can be irritating when you want him to sit and wait for you.
You should teach your dog that leash pulling will never work, and he can go forward only when the leash is loose. Don’t walk ahead when the dog pulls on the leash. When he lets the leash loose, reward him for behaving right. Give him treats for walking close to you to encourage the good behavior.
It is hard for a puppy owner to resist the begging pooch when he asks for food. However, it becomes a trouble when your dog is an adult, and you have to manage his diet requirements. If he gets obese, putting him on diet food will not be easy as he will continue to beg and you may persist to give in.
It’s best not to share your food with the dog, but give him his specific dog meal to eat. Ignore his begging face and do not feed him a single scrap of food to avoid development of such unwanted behaviors.
If you succeed in discouraging these six behaviors in your puppy, you will not have to worry about the wrong things in your dog.
Pets belong on the bed. At our house anyway, and at many of yours, I bet. In fact, surveys on the topic show that around half of pet owners let them sleep on the bed. As for us, our little guy Truffle starts out wedged between my pillows and my husband’s, but at some point […]
via Should You Let Your Pet Sleep With You? We Dug Up the Answer — PushUP24
Keeping up with hyperactive puppies is a tough job. Puppies have a lot of energy that needs to be invested positively in keeping them happy, healthy, and active. Outdoor games will protect them from developing anxiety, sadness, and depression. There are many games that you can play with your pup to strengthen their mental and physical abilities.
Pups are fun-loving furballs that can entertain you at all time with their naivety. Engage them in something different from the common fetch-games in your yard.
Here are three fun yard games that will be beneficial for the pup; and will ease your way for future training. The following games can expand the learning capacities of your dog to a great extent.
There are two sides to playing hide and seek with your pup, either you can hide a dog treat, or you can hide by yourself. Dogs are hunters by nature and love to search out desired things or people by utilizing their strong sense of smell. It will give the pup or the dog a space to express his inborn hunting strengths. Your dog will experience not only a physical exhaustion but also mental stimulation.
By playing hide and seek, the dog can stay engaged in the activity for a long time and can invest his energies more positively. Otherwise, pups and dogs get bored. Boredom can lead to frustration, anxiety, depression, and even a development of destructive behaviors.
Does your puppy have a favorite toy? Hide some treats in that, and hide it somewhere in the yard. It will require the employment of double the amount of dog’s intelligence.
One more trick to play hide and seek is that you hide different toys around the yard and call their names for your dog to find the specific toys!
The puppy’s intelligence, smartness, and alert behavior will help you train him easily later on. The more time you spend together having fun, the higher are the chances for him to take the training for a game. He will love to follow you and obey you just to have some fun!
The plus point is, his destructive capacities that can develop from hunting instincts are toned down and are trained in a better way.
Do you have a pool in your yard? What else can be more than perfect!
Pool games are ah-mazing for pups to have fun, learn, and get confident around water. Yeah! Bathing can become even easier. Fears can be curbed down better at an early age of life. When the dog is young, allure him to get into the pool and have some fun!
Why not play the ‘common fetch-games’ in the pool?
Fear of heights, water, and so on can be eliminated at puppy stage of dog’s life.
If you are an adventure-loving owner, then, get your dog prepared for future to move around with you comfortably. The basic point of pool games is to give ‘confidence’ to little pups so they can face their fears better!
However, be careful in the beginning—send your pup in the pool with a life jacket under your supervision. Moreover, hydrotherapy
Caution: Some dog breeds don’t like water. It’s in their genetics. Some rescue dogs suffered from a bad experience in their past lives. So, it’s better not to FORCE the puppy against his will. Game by force can cause anxiety and depression in dogs too.
So, here comes the real fun! Make your pup learn new tricks by positive reinforcements. Allure him with treats, rewards, and appreciation. Make him jump over the sticks or crawl from underneath the planks.
What’s the benefit? Your pup will become a quick learner for the sake of your appreciation. His tricks will invite and attract people to appreciate and love him. Altogether, this will earn him confidence and fame throughout his life!
What’s more? Strong bones and athletic abilities are a great plus for future training.
Why I highly recommend these three yard games?
A few years ago, I bought a puppy, a black Labrador, named Leo home. They are amazing companion dogs, get more information here. Leo is a fun-loving pup but requires a lot of exercises. Regular training is required to tone down his stubbornness.
Leo’s high energy levels and intelligence levels were creating a concern for me to engage him at all times properly. Due to his high intelligence level, it was required of me to train him at a young age.
Previously, if I ever left Leo alone for hours, he used to get aggressive and stubborn. I looked out for fun ways to engage my new pup to channelize his energies properly. The most effective games that have paid me, in the long run, are these three yard games. They worked for me as well as for a lot of my neighbor dogs. Try them out, and you will admit it by yourself!
I started paying attention to dog food when there was a chance that I was feeding my wonderful furbabies a food that could have killed them.
I won’t mention the brand but there were advertisements after they passed away within 6 months of each other that the particular brand was said to cause kidney failure. This is what one of them passed away from.
The first dog was 15 years old, so we blamed it on old age. So, how do we know what foods are safe and what foods aren’t? There is the alternative of cooking their food yourself which isn’t too bad if you have a small dog or even just one. I will share a report further down that really makes you want to just make your own.
I recently started feeding my new pet, Racheal Ray’s. I then found an article showing how you can tell how much sugar is included in the dog food!
What I am feeding her right now has 48% sugar. There are some that are like 55% sugar. How can you tell how much sugar is in that bag of dog food? If you add the protein, fat, and moisture ash, you should get the percentage of sugar you are feeding your dog.
Also, just because you are getting your food from your vet, does not mean it is any less in sugar than other foods. Feeding our dogs all of this sugar can lead to illnesses like cancer, diabetes, allergies and even inflammations. And, there’s even a YouTube video about the connections by Rodney Habib!
Since my dog loves to eat and I would have a hefty grocery bill just to feed her homemade food all the time, I am hoping to find a good dog food while still giving her more protein from homemade food.
It seems as though ALL of the dog food I have looked at is just too high from the starches and other carbohydrates making sugar to be actually healthy. For the big question of what am I feeding my dog, the following article shows that companies like GRAVY TRAIN and others have phenobarbital in their food. This is what is used to euthanize a pet! This is the link to that article. There are dog and cat foods mentioned in this article.
It is looking more and more like the safest way to know your pet is eating safe and good food is to fix it yourself. While it seems overwhelming, there are books that have recipes for dogs or cats so you know your pet is eating well. One book is Dog Talk, written by Amber L. Drake, Dog Behaviorist. Her book is available on Amazon.
For now, until I get the right recipes, and into all of it I am using 4Health Dog Food along with what I fix. No more Milk Bones (included in that article), I will be making doggie treats.
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Janice
Written by Nat Smith, Rover.com community member. Rover is the nation’s largest network of 5-star pet sitters and dog walkers. They say that dog owners live happier, longer lives. One big reason? Dogs can help you get out more often, stick to your workouts, and stay upbeat while you’re at it. How can your pet […]
“What a good doggie you are, you always let us know when you need to go out!””
This is just one of the reasons busy people should consider adopting a pet from their local shelters instead of buying from pet stores. It takes a long time- with a lot of patience and consistency- to get your dog trained properly.
What other reasons would someone want to adopt for?
They’re giving up that little bundle of fur that is so cute in the store, but he may be more trouble then you are expecting once you get home?
The only thing I can think of that is on the down side of adopting is the fact you more than likely wouldn’t be getting a “puppy” or “kitten”.
Shelters, at times though, DO have litters of animals that need to be adopted out or someone’s pet has babies and family can’t afford to keep them and hand them over to a shelter. Are they purebred? Not usually. Will they love you as much as an expensive store bought animal? Absolutely.
As I am thinking of good reasons to adopt an animal… there is an obvious fact that crosses my mind. And, the fact is that you would be saving a pets life.
There are few no kill shelters, as they fill up the long term animals that haven’t been adopted have to be euthanized to make room for more to come in. So not only are you saving one pets life you are saving two by making room for another pet to be sheltered.
Depending on you and your family, you may have a certain kind of dog in mind.
Is it for companionship, for protection or just to add joy to the family?
Shelters usually have many different breeds at one time and some will even give you a call if you are looking for a certain breed if one happens to come in. If you want to just check them out and see what is available, most shelters will take a dog out to play area and let you interact with it to see if you are interested and if the dog likes you.
You are able to see their personality, how they act with your children, or with another pet. If you are older you might just need a low key pet but find one you like really wouldn’t work because of the energy they have. It is a good time to see if you and the pet would connect personalities.
When you’re adopting from a shelter, you can rest at ease knowing your dog will already be spayed/neutered, vetted, and often microchipped. Pet store dogs don’t offer this. The vetting is your responsibility.
And, there could be more veterinary costs than you think… because most of the puppies found in pet stores are straight from the puppy mill.
On top of these points, if you watch your local shelters, most will have specials throughout the year.
Adopting a pet is a wonderful feeling as the pet picks you just as much as you pick them!
Be a hero not just to your family but to a loyal companion who will love you until the end.
Dogs are an intelligent species; they can assist the disabled and are great detectives. However, at times we do feel that our dogs aren’t smart as they don’t listen to our commands. Of course, it is difficult to make your dog walk off leash or to get him to leave the chicken bone he found outside. You keep shouting “Bad Boy”, “Bad Boy” but he just won’t respond, and you end up feeling helpless & confused. Whether you are a new dog-parent or you have had your baby for years, you may experience this behavior. Well, keep your worries aside as this guide explains the basics of teaching your pup to listen to you.
The first step is to build a connection with your dog. Dogs are animals, and we can’t expect them to speak our language. They begin to understand our commands when they are trained to do so. Begin with talking to your dog, use simple and short sentences. Make sure you use the same words each time as your pooch will learn with repetition. Use a tone that is soft and immediately catches attention. Don’t shout or whine as your pup may get scared or upset.
You can use gestures as well, teach your dog to sit, stand or stay using basic gestures. Combining gestures with verbal commands help the dog understand effectively.
Start with teaching your dog his name. Make sure you train your pup in a quiet place with no distractions involved. Say his name and if he looks at you, immediately say “Yes” in a praising tone. Repeat this couple of times, try doing it when you are in another room and see if he comes running to you. Afterward, you can teach the basic commands such as Stand up, sit, lie down and stay.
Your pooch needs a motivator to make him listen to your commands and what is better than his favorite treats. Every time your dog does what he is asked to, offer him something he loves. Along with the treats you need to use a signal as a cue, say “Yes” or “Good Boy” whenever he behaves well.
We have all heard of the phrase practice makes man perfect, well the same goes for dogs. You need to repeat the same commands multiple times, using the same words and tone each time. If you started teaching your dog in your living room without any distractions, practice the same techniques in different settings with distractions around. Eventually, your pooch will perfect the ability to respond to the cues.
If your dog doesn’t respond to the cue the first time, try to find out the cause. Is it because there are too many distractions that are overwhelming your pup? Maybe there are interesting things around that fascinate your pooch. Whatever the reason may be, find it and try to teach to your dog from the basics in the new environment.
Your puppy may also choose to ignore your commands if that is the case, reinforce the behavior by incorporating short training lessons into his daily routine. Once your little pup grows up and begins to have adventures on his own, the connection between the two of you may weaken. In that case, you are the one responsible for making things work, spend time with your dog, plan new activities and strengthen the bond.
One thing to always keep in mind is that it’s all about training. No breed or genes will influence your dog’s behavior as much as your teaching. Remember that it will require patience; there will be times when you’ll want to express anger, but that is never the solution. Combine the skills with the effective tools, and you’ll be able to train your dog in no time.
Talk to you again soon,
