Comments (0)

By Mike Jones, August 5, 2011

Most dogs really enjoy digging around in soft dirt. You want to have a beautiful yard and a nice garden and your dog comes along and ruins it all. It is a big disaster that you can hardly keep up with. You want a nice yard but your dog wants to have fun digging around. What is the best way to handle this problem?

Dogs are natural-born diggers. Some breeds are actually bred to dig out certain prey so this digging conduct is instinctual for them. If your dog is a natural digger it may be more challenging but there are some things you can do to contain the digging.

It is important for your dog to engage his curiosity, learn about and explore his surroundings. But most people want a nice yard too. You must contain his digging or even stop it entirely if you want to keep your yard beautiful.

Digging Dog

Dogs sometimes dig because they are bored. They need entertainment. He may be experiencing separation anxiety because you are away. Maybe he is trying to dig out an escape route so he can leave the yard. He may even be digging for something as simple as controlling his own temperature. He may be too hot and trying to cool off or he may be too cold and trying to warm-up.

You can get your dog to reduce or even stop his digging patterns. First make sure that he has enough time with you and gets enough exercise and playtime. You can also make sure that he has toys that he enjoys. Frequently dogs will try to bury bones so if you give your dog bones to chew on make sure you replace them with chew toys or rawhide bones.

You can also try clicker training to prevent digging. Anytime you see your dog in the act of digging use the clicker and a command that tells him “no”. Reward him when he stops digging. You will need to be consistent but clicker training can work.

You can also try to fill his hole up with undesirable things. You can fill the hole that he has been playing in with garden mulch, sticks, pine needles and so forth. When he comes back he will dig and find the undesirable things in his hole and he will stop digging. You can also bury a balloon that will pop in his face as he digs. This will not hurt him but it will scare him and he may stop the digging. Some trainers also recommend putting dog poop into the holes as the dog will no longer want to play after he finds his own poop!

You can try to make a spot in your yard specifically for his digging. This will take the most time and patience but it may be the best solution if your dog is just a natural digger. You can reduce your dogs digging behavior with some time and patience but be gentle because he is just being a dog.

Comments (0)

By jnavary, July 3, 2011

Today’s post deals with another of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training: scent marking.

The scent marking problem is most prevalent with a dog who is male, unneutered, and at least five or six months old. Unneutered dogs are much more territorial than neutered ones so they are also more likely to practice scent marking.  If you have an unneutered dog in the house, you can pretty much expect a certain amount of scent marking. (Unspayed females also mark, but it’s less common; spayed and neutered dogs can also exhibit marking behavior, but it’s relatively infrequent)

Scent Marking

Scent marking – where a dog “marks” his or her territory with urine – is technically not actually a house training problem, since it’s based on issues of dominance and territoriality rather than insufficient house training (a dog can be perfectly house trained but still mark inside the house.)

However, since the problem centers around the unwanted presence of urine in the house, it seems logical, in a way, to link this problem with house training. Since this is one of the most widespread problems among dog owners, we thought it worthwhile to include some practical advice.
Scent MarkingScent marking and lack of house training: how to differentiate between the two

Your dog’s probably scent marking, rather than genuinely relieving himself, if:

- The amount of urine produced is relatively small, and tends to be directed against vertical surfaces (walls, doors, etc)

- It makes little difference how often he’s taken outside for a toilet break

- He frequently targets items that are new to the house: new possessions, guest clothing/footwear, etc

- You live in a multi-dog household and there is conflict between two or more of the dogs

- There are other, unneutered or unspayed pets in the house

What to do about the problem?

First things first: spay or neuter your dog(s) as soon as you possibly can. If you can do this early enough – ideally, at six months of age – this often halts marking altogether; but if your dog’s been marking for a prolonged period of time, he or she may continue to do so after being spayed or neutered, since a pattern of behavior will have been established.

Clean soiled areas thoroughly. Use a non-ammonia based cleaner (because it smells just like pee) and stay away from vinegar too (it smells similar to pee.) Oxi-Clean mixed with warm water is particularly effective; there are also plenty of commercial cleaners designed specifically to lift pet stains and odors, which you can buy from pet stores and some supermarkets.

Because dogs tend to re-mark the same places, you’ll need to redefine the places that you know he’s marked to prevent repeat offending.

You can do this in a number of ways:

- Feed him next to or on top of the spot
- Play with him there
- Groom him there
- Put his bed over or next to it
- Spend time there yourself: hang out with a book or sit down and work

If there is rivalry between dogs in the household, you’ll need to take steps to resolve it. Any conflict is likely to be hierarchical in nature (a “power struggle”), which means that all you have to do to stop the tension is pay attention to which dog seems to be more dominant than the other one (which one eats first, gets the toys he/she wants, “stares down” another dog), and reinforce this position.

How to do this: feed the dominant dog first. Pet him/her first. Give him/her a toy before anyone else gets one. This makes it clear to all dogs in the house which one really is the dominant dog – and when this hierarchy’s been recognizably established, territorial/dominant behaviors like scent marking often vanish overnight.

For more information on how to successfully house train your dog (as well as a whole bunch of in-depth information on house training troubleshooting and related issues) you’ll probably want to check out The Ultimate House Training Guide.

It’s the complete dog-house-training guide. The Ultimate House Training Guide and comes highly recommended.

You can visit the The Ultimate House Training Guide site by clicking this link:
http://bit.ly/dogburg

Comments (0)

By Jim Navary, March 2, 2011

The companionship of a dog can truly be one of life’s under appreciated joys. However, that joy can be seriously diminished if your dog exhibits excessive behavior problems. Aggression, inappropriate barking, jumping up on you or visitors, destroying household items and other unacceptable behavior can usually be eliminated through effective obedience training.

As pack animals, dogs are most content when they know their place in the social hierarchy of the pack, be it as a leader or as a subordinate.

If the dog’s perception is that you are not a strong leader, he will most likely assume the role of “alpha” dog. Bad behavior will worsen since, as the pack leader, he will believe that he can do as he pleases without regard to your wishes.

Until you establish yourself as the alpha member of the pack your efforts to teach proper behavior to your pooch are doomed to fail. By providing high quality obedience training you will teach your dog that you are the leader and that he must follow comply with your wishes.

Dog Training

When you begin obedience training try to make it a fun activity for your dog. Be sure to reward your dog for correct behavior. Rewards can take the form of tasty treats, petting, giving him a favorite toy or  vigorous praise.

Never punish your dog while teaching obedience as it will make him associate training with negative feelings. When you need to correct your dog’s behavior make it a penalty rather than punishment. A penalty can be anything from a quick tug on his leash, a “time out” by simply stopping an enjoyable activity, or simply ignoring him.

For training purposes you should keep in mind that rewards are more effective than penalties. Find out what your dog really enjoys and use it when training. The old “using a carrot or a stick” adage should be forgotten. Instead, try to use many different types of “carrots” and throw away the stick.

If you are not sure about specific training techniques you may benefit from studying the tactics used by professional dog trainers. There are several terrific training courses and guide books available online that you may want to consider to help you in your quest for the obedient dog.

Comments (0)

By jnavary, January 10, 2011

In addition to his basic requirements of food, water and shelter, a dog needs social interaction, positive attention from his human companion, exercise and mental stimulation. Several of these additional  needs  can be met by just taking your dog for a walk. Walking your dog daily provides him with the attention from you that he needs. Possibly more than anything else, our pets simply want our company. Even when you remain at home during the day, a lot of your time is spent doing household tasks rather than interacting with your family pet. When leaving for your walk, take along a plastic bag or similar container and be sure to clean up after your pet.

A walk permits you to reinforce obedience skills with your dog to increase the reliability of training. Going over the basic commands also will increase the advantages of a walk because your dog isn’t merely ambling along, but is also performing extra tasks. Walking your dog keeps him mentally alert through territorial examination. With nose to the ground and alert to the sights and sounds of his surroundings, your dog gathers evidence about how his territory has been altered since the last outing.

Together with the emotional benefits, there are physical advantages. Taking your dog for a walk is the most effective method to exercise a dog that may not be very active in your home or even in your yard. Older dogs must be kept as lively and fit as possible. However, he may not be disposed to exercise without some motivation. Whether or not your pet is active in your yard, it is certainly more active during a walk. Merely sharing an activity with you is one of your dog’s greatest motivations to exercise.

If you pass by another dog or person during your walk, your dog has the chance to socialize. Dogs are social animals. It is natural for them to investigate unrecognized individuals. Puppies ought to be encouraged, from the very beginning, to appropriately respond to and get along with other dogs and people while on walks. These friendly experiences help the puppy learn to behave appropriately when meeting visitors to your home, or when he is with you anywhere else. If a dog does not have the opportunity to socialize, it will not understand how to interact correctly with other people or dogs.

Walking your dog is among the the best means to prevent behavior problems. At least one walk each day will help prevent elimination problems, destructiveness, separation anxiety and other frequent behavior disorders. Take your dog for a walk soon after every meal, as this is often the time it’s most likely to urinate or defecate, and you’ll be able to direct your dog to an appropriate location. Praise must be given immediately to be effective. If you merely let your dog go out in the yard, you miss out on a great opportunity to bolster good behavior.

Allowing your pooch to wander freely is hazardous both to your dog and to other pets and people. It also gives the unsupervised dog freedom to revert to unacceptable wild behavior. Your dog’s life might depend on his obedience to your commands. Not permitting some activity cannot be viewed as unkind when considering the possible unfortunate outcome.