Friday, December 21, 2007

Why A Shock-Collar Or Fence Induces Aggression In Your Dog

There are many recognized classifications of dog aggression, including dominance-related aggression; fear aggression; maternal aggression; play aggression; displaced aggression; pain aggression; and barrier/frustration aggression. Most dogs who display aggressive behavior fall into more than one of these categories.

A dog's bite was likely a result of a combination of barrier aggression and pain aggression. Dogs who are kept on chains and behind wire or electronic fences are constantly visually stimulated into a state of arousal whenever someone or something (a person, another dog, a car) passes by. They see an intruder and they bark.

What may have initially been friendly barking intensifies and they bark more aggressively as they realize that they have the power to make intruders leave. The aggressive behavior is reinforced, everyday, with each success, and the aggression escalates.

A big mistake is to add the electric shock collar and the fence. When the dog pushes the boundary limits of the fence, he gets shocked in the neck. His mind now associates the pain of the shock with the passersby, and he's really aroused! Not only are they intruding, but now they're fighting back and hurting him. When he does finally burst through the fence or snaps his chain, he attacks the unlucky person who happens to be passing by at that moment!

Is Your Puppy A Thief?

Commonly, a puppy will pick up a shoe off the floor, which provokes us to chase after him and take the forbidden object away. The dog that is frequently isolated or prohibited from exercise will learn how to ask for negative attention. Negative attention is better to the dog than no attention at all, hence his stealing articles to solicit your attention.

Pick your issues carefully when training your dog. When your dog has an object that you must retrieve, do not under any circumstances chase him. He can and will outrun you while learning how to achieve attention from you. Ignore the behavior unless the object is dangerous to your dog's health. In this case, replacing the object he is holding in his mouth usually works.

When replacement does not work, then you may need to use a can with several pennies in it to startle him into dropping. This "throw can" technique needs to be done so that your dog doesn't see you throw it. The can flew out of the sky and landed near him when he picked up the forbidden object.

Employing the commands "drop it" and "leave it" are helpful with this problem. Teaching the dog to play with only his toys is also important. Having a long line attached to his collar in the house while conditioning your dog out of this behavior eliminates the need for you to chase him to get back whatever he has picked up.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Developing Regular Dog Grooming Habits

Grooming should be started immediately in order to ensure that you know your dog's body and can spot any potential health problems, and to make the dog realize that he must tolerate grooming.

1. Each day during the first week, run a soft brush over his back and down his sides.

2. During the second week, comb out mats and get the comb down to the skin on the back and sides.

3. The third week, start working on the chest, tummy, tail and legs.

4. The fourth week, start on nails, teeth and baths.

5. Try to groom at the same time each morning or night, even if only for a few minutes. Your new dog will come to enjoy it, and the grooming will help the bonding process as well as establish dominance. It will also make the dog look and feel good!

6. Consult your breeder or a good groomer to find out how to groom your particular breed. Make sure he covers coat care, ear care, nail care and mouth care.