Dog Training Zone

Shy dogs are more common than most people think, but unfortunately many dogs who suffer from this affliction are never seen by the general public because of their impairment. Shy dogs range from those who scurry away when someone walks by, to those who bite when approached. No matter how vehement their behavior, however, there are ways of not only managing it, but solving the problem.

Symptoms of a Shy Dog

Most shy dogs will exhibit several different behaviors that show you their true nature. They can display flattened ears, glassy eyes, pant oddly, tuck their tail between their legs, and refuse to make eye contact. They may run away scared, urinate inappropriately (also called submissive urination), bare his teeth, bark, growl, or perhaps bite.

Why is He Shy?

When looking at ways to start dog behavior training, you’ll first need to figure out exactly why your dog is shy. There are two families of debate on this topic; the current model states that shyness is genetic in dogs. However, as always with animal-life behavior, the debate about nature vs. nurture rages on. A mother dog may teach her shy behaviors to her pups, for instance. However, you should also check with your vet to make sure there aren’t any medical reasons as to why your dog seems shy. And finally, you’ll want to observe your dog to make sure that it’s not just dog behavior training that is required - perhaps they never really learned how to socialize properly in the first place. If this is the case, then you should be able to use some very effective dog behavior training techniques to fix this issue in no time.

Methods to Overcome Shyness

The first thing you should do is read as much as you can about your dog, its temperament, breed, and any related issues that may be contributing to his shyness. Also make a point of reading up on dog behavior training methods. Talk to your vet, other pet owners, local dog clubs and the SPCA to get ideas, too.

Then, take your dog to the vet and have him checked out thoroughly. Poor hearing and eyesight can contribute (or even cause) this problem, as can epilepsy, chronic pain or an ear infection.

Then, make sure that you’ve spayed or neutered your animal. Breeding them, unless you are highly trained to do so, won’t help at all. Plus, you’ll be increasing the life span of your pooch in the process.

Dog behavior training is the next step of the process. Learn more about what distracts your dog (both with his individual personality and breed), what motivates him, and whether or not he was bred to work with humans. Determine what his prey drive is (the want to chase things), pack drive (the want to be in a pack, or belong to a human), and defensive drives (fight and flight). Knowing this information will change your dog behavior training dramatically.

Now you can start with the obedience training. Try and look for local schools that can help you get started on this process, because doing it on your own can be a bit overwhelming at first. Let the school know why you want to investigate dog behavior training, and what goals you hope to accomplish with your dog. Also, look at some agility training for your dog as well, to keep his body in tip-top condition.

(c) 2005 dog-training-info.com. This article may be republished as long as these bylines are included.

Kevin Simmons is the webmaster of http://www.dog-training-info.com. Please visit the site for more free dog training articles. Online URL for this article: http://www.dog-training-info.com/dog-behavior-training.htm

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Dogs are a man’s best friend. That has always been the belief ever since. Why not? Because of their care, loyalty and sweetness to their owners, people will have a hard time not loving them.

Unfortunately for some dog owners and some people, the dog becomes their worst enemy. Just imagine the life of the mail man. The mail man has been always portrayed in movies or cartoons as a biting post of dogs. This is not a stupid joke. I have a n uncle who worked as a mail man and got bitten by a dog.

In fact, there are more people aside from mailmen that get victimized by dog bites. Every year there are 4.7 million people that get bitten by dogs. Among the 4.7 million people that get bitten, 17% needs medical attention. Also, 10-20% of tragic bite victims are killed by dog bites.

Since this has been a growing problem, certain breeds have been banned in some U.S. states. Here are the top 10 breeds that cause dog bites in no particular order. Rottweilers, pit bulls, huskies, German shepherds, Dobermans, malamutes, St. Bernards, chow chows, Akitas and Great Danes.

The dog’s behavior of being aggressive or non-aggressive greatly depends on the owner’s responsibility and training of the dog. Here are several steps that the owners can take to make their dog safe around other people.

Make your puppy have social interaction with other dogs and people after it gets vaccinated. This will help the puppy feel that other dogs and humans are not threatening. The puppy will then learn to be friendlier. Bring the puppy to the park, pet store or even puppy classes.

Spraying or neutering the dog will greatly help reduce the risk. When the dog is neutered some of its territorial instincts like territorial aggression are reduced. Most fatal dog bites (80%) are caused by non-neutered male dogs. So trying to neuter your aggressive male dog will help keep it safe around other people.

Always remember to restrain your dog when interacting with strangers or in a public place. You can’t predict your dog’s behavior even though you may say that it’s really friendly. Try to restrain him with a leash when in a public place. Also prevent strangers from interacting with the dog because the stranger might startle him or her. When leaving the dog alone in your yard, remember to enclose him on a fence that will be suitable for its size.

It is the dog’s nature to bite anything, so training it to not bite anything will greatly help. Distraction will work on a dog when it is biting anyone. Try to make a quick sound such as a clap or saying “ow”. After, make the dog chew the chew toy. It will greatly help in training if the dog is rewarded when biting the right stuff.

Always watch your dog’s behavior. When the dog is really aggressive and can’t be trained, get help from the vet.

Being able to follow these things can help prevent the risk of your dog to society. Instead of becoming public enemy number 1 it could be America’s sweetheart. So be a responsible owner.

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for Free Dog Training and Dog Care

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1. Why do dogs eat their poop?

One reason dogs eat their poop is because it just plain tastes good. Another reason is it could be a vitamin deficiency. One other reason for the poop eating is that it is an instinctual behavior in the wild to eat the poop to keep other predators from tracking their movements. Some solutions for stopping poop eating are: You can put meat tenderizer on their food and it is supposed to make the poop taste bad once it goes through the body. Check to make sure your dog food is nutritous enough and they are getting everything they need in their diet. The best and most effective way is to clean up after your dog immediately.

2. How do I get my dogs to stop barking?

Dogs bark as a form of communication. Dogs will also bark out of boredom. Dogs that are not with their pack [you are their pack] will bark to get the packs attention to let them know they are lonely. Dogs will bark to alert that there is a person walking by or another dog in their territory it is a natural form of communication. If you remove the stimulant then there is no need to bark at it. The best way to stop nuisance barking is to exercise/socialize your dog. If the dog is with their pack then they is no need to get the packs attention. Dogs also
bark when they are excited it is their natural way of communication.

3. How do I get my dog to stop chewing up the furniture?

If you have a puppy it is probably teething and in some pain. The chewing is satiating to them and can possibly be soothing their gums. You can give them a cold carrot to chew on, make sure you give it to them outside it can get quite messy. You can also freeze chicken broth in ice cube trays for them to have to help relieve some of the discomfort.

You can also use Bitter Apple spray to detour them from chewing. Mature dogs usually chew out of boredom and stress. Exercise is the best way to release the stress. You can turn there attention on to something else that is more exciting then your dinning room table leg.

4. How do I get my dog to stop nipping and play-biting?

One way is to yelp very loud and startle the puppy. If the puppy was playing with another puppy and it bite to hard then the puppy would yelp to let them know it hurt. If the play stops as a result of biting too hard then the puppy will learn from being shunned away that biting stops the play time. Another solution for play biting is to have a toy and redirect the attention on to something else. You can also change the dogs environment take them outside for a walk is very helpful.

5. How do I stop my dog from potting in the house?

Once a dog start using the bathroom in the house the only method that works is PREVENTION. Every time your dog uses the bathroom in the house it takes 10 consecutively times using the bathroom outside that teaches it outside is where to go potty. So if you get to 9 times outside and then they have a mistake inside you have to start all over again. You must look at your dog/puppy as a 9 month old crawling baby with out a diaper on. Surely you would not let a 9 month old baby loose in your house with out a diaper on.

Susie Aga, Atlanta Dog Trainer

Susie is a Certified Canine Behavior & Training Specialist and a member in good standing with the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She has four rescue dogs and donates much of her time and services to Rescue Organizations and hosts The Animal Hour Radio Show which can be heard through her site.

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