Dog Behavior Training Site Blog

Abused Shiba Inu

It completely disgusts me what people are capable of doing. A twenty year old woman (not the description I’d like to use) in Boulder, CO taped a puppy upside down to the refrigerator because she was mad at her boyfriend for bringing the dog home.
READ ORIGINAL STORY The Boulder police took the puppy to the Boulder Valley Humane Society and yesterday the organization’s director reported that the dog (Rex) was in good health. The puppy turned out to be two years old rather than eight months as originally thought. It was also determined that the dog had been taped upside down during his ordeal.

Read more about REX

Dog Chewing Shoe

Your dog has an innate need to chew, it terribly fun (for the dog), it passes time, and sometimes it tastes pretty darn good too (again, at least to the dog). From your perspective, however, this can quickly get to be extremely annoying; even if the first time puppy did it it was kind of cute or amusing or both.

For proper Dog Behavior Training it certainly helps if you as the trainer understand why your pet does what they do. So why does a dog chew? Well for starters think of it as a stress reliever the way some people have a cocktail or are driven to comfort food. Yes, dogs get anxious, they most certainly get bored and often times are under exercised so they have excess energy to burn.

Here’s Some Things to Stop Your Dog From Chewing:

Dog proof or Puppy Proof your residence. You may very well have the best behaved pet ever, still, there is no apparent reason to test their self-control, remember, dogs investigate the planet with their mouths. Managing your own belongings means taking whatever you don’t want them to have in their mouth, and putting it in an unavailable place to them. Consider size and dexterity when deciding what is out of reach. Can your dog jump onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall are they when standing on their back legs? General chew items in the home consist of trash, shoes, books, clothing, and small plastic appliances (cameras, cell phones, and remote controls).All food needs to be put securely away. Do not leave snacks on low tables or even counter tops it is amazing how determined a dog can be with food to be had. Put these temptations into containers or the pantry.

Keep your dog from discovering the giddiness of illegal chewing. The more times they manage to procure a mouthful of a prohibited chew item (chair-leg, slipper) the more readily your pet will go for these items in future. If possible keep them from chewing your things in the first place; it will be a lot easier for doggie to understand what you expect of them. This may mean confining them in a dog-proofed area until you are positive they possess an understanding of the house rules.

Make a LOUD NOISE when you catch them CHEWING ILLEGALLY! Clap your hands and give them a resounding NO! or make a loud “aaat-aaat-aaat” vocalization. Immediately give the dog an appetizing and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy).The moment your dog takes it with their teeth, praise them long and lavishly. This will make them understand that chewing “their” toys means praise from you, but chewing your stuff is a huge NO-NO.

Dog behavior training takes time, patience and consistency. Still if you follow these guidelines you will find your pet will quickly adopt to his/her chew toys. Not only that you will begin your Alpha Dog position and your dog need to understand and accept that – you will both be happier. We will do more on that the next posting. This will keep you busy enough if your dog is chewing your stuff.

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