DOG BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Barking is completely normal among dogs but I for one know that it can get very annoying.  Fist off let’s look at why dogs bark.  Dogs use many types of vocalizations and barking techniques to communicate starting very early in life when they are puppies.  Dogs tend to make five different types of sounds: howls, growls, grunts, whines, and barks.  Which are all used to communicate different messages in certain situations.

Howling is used as a line of long-range communication.  Howling is used to signify territorial boundaries, location of other dogs, and attraction for mating.  Dogs may also howl to stimuli such as sirens or horns.

Growling occurs during many different activities.  It’s used to threaten, warn, show aggression, show defense, and to demonstrate dominance.  Growling is often used in play as well, play-growls occur in combination with a wagging tail and play bow which signals enthusiasm to engage in activity.

Grunts in dogs are equal to sighs in humans and they can be heard when they are greeting other dogs, other people, or if they are annoyed with something or someone.

Dogs whine when they are either frustrated or in pain.  Expressions of sadness can also be communicated by whining such as when they whine when you’re headed out the door without them.  Dogs tend to use whining as an attention seeking tool.  Puppies especially tend to whine when they are left alone and it is imperative you do not pamper them in these circumstances and make sure you don’t unintentionally reinforce their whiny behavior.

Finally on to barking.  Barking is the dogs main mode of communication.  Certain breeds have been bread to bark such as watchdogs and sheepdogs.  Most barking is used to alert or warn others and is used in territorial disputes.  Many dogs use barking to attract attention, play, or identify itself to other canines.  Barking also occurs in dogs from excitement, being startled, loneliness, anxiety, teasing, or simply out of boredom.

Unwanted barking in dogs is easily treated and a simply dog obedience eBook will really help you train your dog to follow your orders and respect your authority.  The key is to teach your dog to not bark as much with the correct training and techniques.  . Good luck with your training endeavors! Here is my suggestion:

Stop Your Dogs Barking Now

I enjoy walks on the beach with my dog peekay.

What should I do with my dog? Behavior problems, attacks small children.?

My dog is not very socialable, especially around people she does not know and kids. I have had her since she was 6 months, as a puppy she was very nice but as she’s gotten older she does not like other people, and she has not been fixed. She has snapped at 2 children, nothing serious until the other day. She bit my neice in the face and caused her to bleed. I’m being encourage to put her to sleep but I really do not want to. Is there anything i can do to changer her attitude and vicious behavior? She is 4 years old, 18 lbs, Lhasa Apso.

Answer
Ok- the first order of business is having her spayed. She has a terrible temperament and no way would you want to pass that on to another generation. She will also be healthier. As far as aggression to strangers and children- lhasa apsos are not known for their great personalities, to be honest. You should either keep her crated or muzzled when you have people over, and keep her away from children period. You may find that your family won’t be willing to come over any more (who can blame them?) and that they will file a report (if the child had to go to the hospital as a result of the bite, one has already been filed by the hospital) in which case it may be out of your hands entirely.

Do not reward unwanted behavior. Ensure that you are not rewarding the very behavior you want to stop. Watch yourself, or ask someone else to observe, to ensure that you are not teaching the wrong things.

Example: Harry would go berserk, whenever the postman arrived. Mrs Jones would take him by the collar and lead him away. ‘Good boy, it’s all right, he’s gone now, good lad,’ she would say in her attempts to calm him down. Harry heard ‘Good boy’ and assumed Mrs Jones was rewarding his behavior.

Example: Flossie loved her owner’s attention, but hated fireworks. Any strange bangs would have her trembling and shaking. Mr Richards would then take her onto his knee and cuddle her, telling her what a good girl she was. Although Flossie’s fear was real, she learned that her best times were when she was afraid, as she loved the cuddles, so she began to become increasingly fearful for less reason. Avoid aggression.

As a species, we are quick to resort to aggression. When our dogs misbehave, some display of aggression from humans often follows. However, trying to hurt, frighten or intimidate our dogs is rarely effective. It can make the situation worse. The old approach of ‘show him who’s boss’, meaning to resort to something physical, has fortunately been replaced with more understanding and effective methods. It is not possible to overcome aggression with aggression. All the dog will learn is that whoever is most aggressive will win. He may back down this time, but the problem is likely to show itself in a worse form sooner or later.

Safety is essential and control measures you might want to consider may include:

• keeping your dog on a lead on f walks if he is not reliable.

• putting a muzzle on your dog at the vet’s if you know he is not good at being handled. keeping away from TV repair men if your dog does not like workmen in the house.

• taking your dog away from a situation if you are not confident with him.

Safety must always come first.

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How To Cure Dog Behavior Problems

What effect does spade/neutering have on dog behavior and weight?

We were given an older female Jack Russell Terrier and two male mutt pups. Jack Russell is a bit aggressive at times as is one of the pups. She is already a bit overweight. The pups weigh around 35-45 pounds now at 8 months. Just curious as to whether their behaviors and weights would change after we had them spade/neutered.

Answer
Weight gain is primarily due to what the dogs are being fed and the amount of exercise they get. Maybe they burn a lot of calories when the time is right to look for a mate, and so maybe their food could be cut down a little bit. The Jack Russell’s behaviour is unlikely to change if she is spayed. I’m assuming she’s a bit aggressive generally, and not just with the pups? If it’s just with the pups, they’re probably doing her head in! The pups are at an ideal stage to be neutered. It is said that neutering reduces aggression. I’m not sure about that, but certaininly it takes the stress of sex hormones running amok away from them.