DogTrainster.Com

Article Source: ktar.com

Article by: Sandra Haros/KTAR

A Valley dog trainer said there are warning signs before a dog attack.

“There are always warning signs of some kind. With some breeds, it’s far more difficult to read or to see. And in some cases the warning signs are just basically downplayed as the dog is just being a dog,” said Leighton Oosthuisen, training director at Partners Dog Training in Cave Creek.

He said he’s horrified over the case of the Mesa newborn that was attacked and killed by a Chow, the family pet.

A chow is actually a fighting breed, like Rottweilers and Dobermans, Oosthuisen said. He said there are better-suited breeds for homes with babies, but, “The most important thing to look at is how does the dog behave. If they’re calm and relaxed around the child, then they should be okay. If they are displaying much higher drive or excitable behavior or territorial behavior, then that is a high-risk situation that needs to be addressed.”

Oosthuisen said parents often ignore warning signs when it comes to pets and babies. “Unfortunately, as parents we have to address these things. And a lot of times people don’t like to give up the family pet because they don’t think it may get to this. Certain breeds have a very high risk of this type of behavior.”

Oosthuisen added, “The more domesticated a dog, the better they are around children. Breeds such as Siberian Huskies, the chows, the Akitas, dogs of that nature — all of which I happen to love, so it’s not a personal opinion — but those dogs are just generally a little bit wilder, a little bit aloof and more independent, and so therefore they’re just not as responsive toward a child.”

The Mesa attack may be leaving parents of small children uneasy, but Oosthuisen said he’s certain the parents didn’t pick up on the red flags.

“There are signs where might have been growling before, might have been displaying territorial behavior. Or may just have been way too excited or excitable around the baby.”

He urged all parents to get a professional to evaluate the family pet and Oosthuisen said you should never leave a baby alone with any animal.

Article Source: petslobby.com

Training aggressive dog is a thorny issue and has gotten many dog owners vexed over it. Dog aggression can be a serious problem as there are laws and by-laws in different states that demand the punishment of dog owners in the form of court charges. At the same time, should your dog happen to attack and injure anyone, your poor dog would be put down. That said, with proper dog aggression training, the aggression in dogs can be curbed so that they do not turn on strangers and your closed ones. Are you ready to start learning some training aggressive dog tips?

Training aggressive dog first requires some basic understanding of why dogs become aggressive. There could be several reasons that accounts for your dog’s aggressive behavior. He/she are territorial animals and may feel that their territories are compromised. Maybe they feel threatened by some changes in the environment. Such aggression normally finds its root in the lack of security and confidence. In such instances, simple dog obedience training would not curb aggressive dog behavior.

Training aggressive dog seriously and properly with special aggressive dog training will however solve the problem. Aggressive dog behavior includes barking and lunging at others also. Such behaviors are symptoms of dog aggression behavior. It is therefore important to arrest such aggressive dog behavior early before it balloons into something more serious.

Your dog vet may put forward some suggestions on how to seek a qualified aggressive dog trainer who are experienced in dealing and dog aggression trainer. Training aggressive dog is a special skill set and would thus set you back by a substantial sum of money. However, the results would be good and you can put your worries to rest. Do not just approach any normal dog obedience school as most would not accept your dog if he/she has aggressive behavior since the dog training classes are quite large and there are other pet dogs around. Rather, send your dog to special dog obedience training school that knows exactly how to handle and train aggressive dogs. The local directory and yellow pages are great places to start looking.

One more thing you need to pay attention to is the training techniques and methodology they adopt in training aggressive dog. How they train aggressive dogs is important as some dog training schools are known to use obsolete methods which could be harmful to your dog. As time goes by, accumulated experience and knowledge sharing has taken the area of training aggressive dogs to a more advanced level. So it is worth the effort to be extra careful. After all, the truth is it is hard to train an aggressive dog but with the right techniques; it becomes less of a pain.

Ultimately, what really matters is your favorite pet stops its aggressive behaviors and starts to be a loving companion. You can then enjoy the best moments together and not be in constant fear that your dog would bite you, others or other dogs. Training aggressive dog is so essential in order to make this a reality.

Article Source : positivedogtrainingtechniques.com

By Lee Dobbins

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that more than 4.7 million people a year are bitten by dogs. These high incidents of dog bites result to various medical bills, law suits, and sometimes euthanasia for the dog. These cases might be avoidable if dog owners take safety precautions such as training their dogs not to bite.

There are common techniques that have been proven to be effective in suppressing biting behavior of dogs. However, the degree of difficulty of dog training varies with the breed of dog, age and individual temperament.

The younger the dog, the easier the training will be. Because mouthing, nibbling, and nipping come naturally to a puppy, an owner must be firm to stop this behavior when it starts. Even though it may begin as a cute nuisance, it can turn into a bad habit if not contained from the get-go.

You can start giving verbal commands to your dog when he is four weeks and older. When the puppy tries to bite, a gentle but firm “No!’ followed by a slight squeeze of the muzzle will train him not to bite anymore.

Be careful that you don’t squeeze in a way that causes the dog to bite its tongue. Also be careful not to squeeze hard or too high up on the muzzle. Sensitive and delicate odor receptors of the dog are situated high up inside the nose.

Squeezine your dogs muzzle will help him associate the verbal command with the discomfort of the squeeze. Since most dogs are uncomfortable with having their muzzles squeezed, this will help him think twice about biting.

Another dog training technique that might help eliminate biting is to socialize your dog since dogs that are not used to people or other dogs do tend to bite. You want to socialize your dog eat an early age to develop his calmness and confidence. Your dog will be more friendly to your guests, other animals and even strangers if socialized properly.

While still young, socialize your dog with other dogs preferably those that are non-aggressive. Being exposed to other dog breeds will help him cope up with territorial behavior.

While it is natural for a dog to nip and bite, the know enough not to do this too hard to their littermates. They will nip each other while playing, but they learn early on not to press too hard. This natural instinct can be used in training dogs not to bite by teaching them to extend the scope of the pack to include family members, frequent visitors and other pets.

When introducing your pet to an animal from outside the home, be sure to keep both animals at a distance from each other. Allow the animals to approach one other at a slow pace while they take in their smells and act out other normal behavior.

Put your dog at ease by having the dog sit and stroke its back. Check your dog for signs of aggression like body tension, snarling, and erect ears. After stroking your dog touch the other animal to convey the smell of your pet to that animal. After checking to make sure there are no signs of aggression and the other dog got a scent of your dog then allow them to interact.

Many dogs can be trained to curb thier urge to bite by the time they are four and a half months old, but it may take your dog longer than that. It varies by breed, and each individual dog within a breed is different. And you know that saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? It’s not exactly true, but training an older dog to stop biting is much more difficult than it is to teach a puppy.

While most dogs can be trained not to bite, there are some that still bite despite being trained. Pet owners should also be trained how to handle their dogs properly. If your dog still bites, make sure it cannot interact with other people or be expose to other animals.

Persistent long term use of these dog training techniques will likely result in a more stable and fun pet, not to mention that it could prevent an unwanted situation where your dog could get hurt or hurt someone else.

All dog owners, at some point of time or the other, have to administer dog behavior or dog obedience training. Most dogs suffer from behavior problems at some time in their lives. It is important for the owners to understand these problems and the techniques that can be used to correct these problems. Let us take a look at some of the general principles of dog training:

• A large number of dog behavior problems occur due to separation anxiety.

• Dog aggression and problem behavior like biting, digging or barking comes from the lack of communication between the dog and its owner.

• Dog behavior problems can be corrected by applying dog obedience training in the early stages.

• Set clear-cut boundaries of unacceptable and acceptable conduct for your dog and make it clear to them.

• Whenever your dog suffers from a behavioral problem, there is some cause or trigger behind it. Therefore, it is vital to identify these triggers in order to solve the problem.

Some of the common behavioral problems faced by dogs include aggression, biting, baking and chewing. Though it is all natural behavior for dogs, but it can prove to be extremely expensive and annoying for its owners. Some of the ways in which stop dog biting include:

1. Make your dog undergo both mental as well as physical exercise.

2. Provide tasty dog chews to your dog. Make it clear that if your dog wants to chew something, it should be his toys only.

3. If there is some particular thing like a furniture leg which your dog likes to chew, then you can coat is which a substance with a foul taste such as cayenne pepper or bitter apple, so that your dog doesn´t chew it.

It is quite sad that most of the dogs who suffer from behavioral problems end up in different animal shelters. If you do not want to bid farewell to your beloved pet, then you have to manage their aggression or destructive behavior with the help of appropriate dog behavior training. Combining proper techniques of dog training along with some patience and commitment, you can surely achieve great results with your pet dog. Dog training can make a huge difference to the life of your dog.

Article Source: articlecat.com

By: Bob Evanston

Humans and dogs have a long history of happy co-existence. For many people, as the old saying goes, their dog is indeed their best friend. Dogs can serve many roles -family member, guardian, jogging buddy, worker and countless others.

Sometimes, however, the canine-human relationship is not completely harmonious. Unfortunately, dogs can inspire irritation and even fear in people. What does a dog owner do when faced with an aggressive or downright vicious animal that he or she cannot seem to control?

Aggression is the most serious problem faced by dog owners. It can take many forms. Your dog may have a problem with other dogs, with children or with just certain people or in certain environments. So, first of all, you should narrow it down and pinpoint the exact issue.

The first step to take is to have a veterinarian you trust examine your dog, to make sure there is not a physical problem that is the cause of disruptive behavior. You should also try to control your dog’s environment as much as possible, avoiding whatever tends to provoke problematic behavior.

In other words, do not tempt fate. If your dog tends to fight with other dogs, until you can get a handle on the situation, you really need to isolate your dog from other dogs. The same, of course, is true for dogs who are aggressive towards people. If necessary, use a muzzle. Be sure to warn people not to approach a potentially dangerous dog. You do not want to deal with lawsuits, or other repercussions of your dog attacking someone, whether human or another animal.

There are rare cases when the only choice is to give up the dog. This may be, for example, when you have a young child in your household or in those unfortunate cases when you have a truly vicious dog who is beyond help. But in most cases, behavioral problems, including aggression, can be corrected. One of the first remedies you can try is exercise. If a dog has too much unused energy, it can become aggressive.

A note about exercise –playing with your dog is great, but make sure you don’t play too roughly and unknowingly encourage aggression. For many dogs, it’s fine to play rough, but if your dog has an issue with aggression, you should not be playing in ways that foster this.

Sometimes the problem is isolation. Dogs are social animals who do not like to be left alone for long periods. Tying a dog to a stake in the ground all day is not going to make him/her happy, and in some cases it may cause behavior problems. If you are away from your dog for long periods, try to make an arrangement so the dog isn’t alone all the time. At the very least, make sure the animal has some room to move around.

These are fairly basic suggestions and will often not be enough to solve the problem. The fact is, if you have an aggressive dog, or one with other serious behavioral problems, you are going to have to take some action. This means either hiring a professional dog trainer or taking some time to learn how to train your dog yourself. The first solution can be expensive, the second requires a commitment in time, as well as patience.

The issue of an aggressive dog is serious and cannot be overlooked. Fortunately, most dogs can be cured of aggression and almost any other behavioral problem. Some dogs, just like some humans, need extra help in getting past whatever problems they may have acquired.