Teaching a Dog to Sit, Stay will Improve His Emotional Control
This is Blog #4 in helping the dog who is barking and lunging at people.
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Leash Frustration
How to Stop Aggressive Dog Barking at People
For shy or fearful dogs, having a human move into their space is very scary, and it takes away their personal choice. In the Treat and Retreat game, we reverse this situation. Instead of adding social pressure to the dogs, we remove that pressure. This adds to the dogs feeling of control while also giving the dog another opportunity to make a choice. Removal of social pressure should always be part of the Treat and Retreat game, as a way to check how the dog is doing and help keep them under threshold. If a dog goes over threshold, they learn that snapping works, period.
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5 Body Postures: A Dog is Asking For Space
If humans better understood dogs body language then we would have less dogs resorting to a bite when they feel stressed or threatened. We see several cues that this scared boy does not want to be touched. Signals that are asking for distance are often very subtle.
Level 1 distance Cues:
1. Dogs body is leaning away from the approaching hand.
2. Dogs paw is raised in a submissive manner.
3. Head is moving away asking for increased distance.
4. Eyes are avoiding the stranger
5. Mouth is closed, rather than open and relaxed.
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Fight or Flight Response in Dogs?
On a recent trip, I found myself in a nice hotel lobby visiting friends. I decided it was time for “goodbyes” so I headed for the elevator. When the door opened, there were three rather imposing-looking men standing along the back wall. I froze for a second! Do I get in and turn my back
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Why is my Dog Lunging on the Leash?
Do you own a dog that does not act “normal” when he sees another dog on leash? Many dogs do not have good coping skills to greet another dog when confined by a leash. You may describe this type of dog as fearful, hyper vigilant, aggressive, reactive, out of control, barks all the time,
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Don’t Shoot the Dog – Jackpots Revised
Many of you have read Karen Pryer’s book, Don’t Shoot the Dog It is an educational book for parents as well as dog owners. After 20 years, Karen explains how the use of jackpots can work when used effectively. The below insert is straight from Karen’s Blog and is worth reading: Remember, though, that no one
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Dog Aggression and Communication Signals
Why is my dog so aggressive to other dogs? This can usually be diagnosed with a detailed history: no play ever, hereditary, mother was sick or a guarder, or over socialized with aggressive or rough playing dogs. Cycle of On-Leash Aggression (created problem from humans), as described in the Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson, “The Bully
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Preventing Dog to Dog Aggression
Protect your dog from becoming aggressive by knowing where he is and who his playmates are. The topic of leash aggression arises so often, I feel the need to address it often in my blogs. For dog trainers it is very clear why we do not let our dogs greet unknown dogs while on leash.
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What Does Stress Look Like?
When I think of unwanted behavior, I think of stress as the two are often related. My goal here is to help you identify your dogs stress signals so you can get them help before this stress causes unwanted behavior. Science clearly states that stress leads to health problems, negatively affect relationships with others and
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Staying Positive
I recently attended a Behavior Clinic where we taught our dogs new behaviors using a technique called shaping which is where we rewarded our dogs for making the slightest attempt at the behavior we wanted. What I LOVED about this training seminar was that everyone was happy, smiling and really positive as they changed their