Expose them to new experiences, people, environments, sounds, and surfaces in a positive and controlled way before 16 weeks of age. Avoid overwhelming saturations.
Dogs bark for various reasons, including boredom, fear, excitement, or alerting to something in their environment. Identifying the trigger helps address the behavior.
Teach an incompatible alternative behavior, such as “Sit” or “Four On The Floor”, and reward calm greetings. Ignore jumping and reinforce desired behavior immediately.
Puppies explore with their mouths. They learn bite inhibition from their mom and other litter mates. If they learned inappropriate biting behaviors then you will want to redirect to appropriate chew toys and teach bite inhibition using positive methods. If your puppy is biting you, remove yourself from them until they stop trying to bite you. Then go back. Keep doing this until they learn their biting made the fun go away. They will quickly stop the behavior if it’s not being reinforced
There are several reasons why your dog may still have excess energy even after an hour of exercise. Physical exercise alone isn’t enough, especially for high energy breeds. They also need mental stimulation and social stimulation. Choose the type of exercise that best fits your dog breed needs. There are other reasons exercise isn’t enough such as overstimulated, unmet emotional or social needs, diet and nutrition, genetics and individual personality.
Not Always. While many people assume a wagging tail always means a happy dog, tail wagging canindicate a variety of emotions, including excitement, nervousness, or even aggression. A happy, friendly, relaxed dog typically will wag their tail mid-height relaxed wag. Other wags such as slow, tentative wag, high, stiff wag, low tucked wag could mean your dog is overstimulated, fearful, or anxious. These emotions have the potential to turn into aggressive behaviors. To truly understand your dog’s emotions, observe their whole body language, including ears, eyes, and posture.
No always. On-leash greetings can create tension. It’s best to allow controlled introductions in a safe open setting.
Use neutral territory, keep leashes loose, allow natural sniffing, try to prevent your dog from going face to face, and watch for signs of stress or aggression.
Dogs don’t have ADHD or autism in the same way humans do, but they can exhibit behaviors that resemble these conditions. Some dogs display hyperactivity, impulsivity, and difficulty focusing, which ca be similar to ADHD in humans. While dogs don’t have autism as diagnosed in humans, some dogs show repetitive behaviors, social detachment, or difficulty adapting to change. This is sometimes called Canine Dysfunctional Behavior (CDB) and may be linked to genetics or early developmental factors.
Food rewards are an effective motivator, and makes training much more effective. Over time, once your dog knows the behavior reliably, you can incorporate life rewards (toys, praise, access to things the dog wants) and randomly use food as a reward.
Growling is communication. It signals discomfort, fear, or stress. Stress is the number 1 reason for aggression. Instead of punishing growling, identify and address the underlying cause. You never want to stop your dog from communicating with you.
Aggression is an instinctual behavior, instinctual behaviors can not be removed. Aggressive behaviors can be managed and improved with behavior modification. You can change your dog’s opinion but it requires patience, consistency, and professional guidance.
Punishment can suppress behavior temporarily but often increases fear, anxiety, or aggression. Positive reinforcement is more effective and humane.
No, fearful dogs often find dog parks overwhelming. Controlled socialization with calm, well-mannered dogs is better approach.
It depends on the dog, the behavior, consistency, and the training methods used. Some behaviors improve in days, while others take weeks or months.
Use a front-clip harness, reinforce loose-leash walking with rewards, and stop moving forward when the leash tightens to teach polite walking habits. Timing is everything.
Marker training is a powerful, science-based training method that uses a distinct signal (a “marker”) to communicate to a dog the exact moment they perform a desired behavior. The marker is immediately followed by a reward, reinforcing the behavior and making it more likely to be repeated. Common markers are a clicker, or positive work such a “Yes”
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