Feeding your dog naturally

June 15th, 2009 by admin

Chewing is a matter of individual preference among dogs: some derive great pleasure from chewing and others just do it when they are extremely bored.

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound redundant, because – by its very nature! – all chewing can tear things up. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it inside of a minute. To be clear when I use the phrase “destructive chewing” I am referring to chewing your possessions and house items instead of hers.

The three main reasons why dogs chew:

– All dogs have a natural desire to chew. And really it’s fun and passes time a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity.)

– Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To a dog the repetitive act of chewing is soothing just like we eat comfort food.

If dogs are not exercised to burn up their excess energy they often turn to chewing to give themselves something to do.

– How to prevent bad chewing -

Dogs can learn not to chew your things – you just need to work at it.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions. Dog-proofing your home should be the first step. Even if she is well-behaved there is no reason to test her self-control – after all dogs explore the world with their mouth.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider her size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: can she jump? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? When standing on her back legs how tall is she?

Small crunchy appliances such as cell phones, cameras and remote controls and eyewear, shoes and garbage are often targets in the home.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Make sure you scrape out plates and rinse them before leaving them by the sink.

2. Prevent her from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times she manages to snatch a jaw full of a forbidden substance – a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe – the more readily she’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. In other words, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you are confident of her understanding the house rules.

3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew). If she has gotten caught with household articles then don’t give her similiar castoffs to play with, there is no way she would know the difference.

4. Give her lots of different, good tasting alternatives to your things. If she doesn’t have anything to play with, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Just think, most dogs need to chew; especially if she’s an adolescent or a puppy. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.

5. Spend a lot of time in one on one supervision. Yes it is easier to keep her penned in her crate but horrible for her, and hardley any fun for you either?) She can not learn all that you expect of her if you keep her all boxed up in a dog-proof zone: she needs to be able to explore and have challengies so that she can understand what is appropriate and what is not.

6. Make a loud noise like clapping your hand or make an “Ah-ah-aaaah” when you catch her chewing something you don’t want her to chew!” noise. Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. Chewing “her” toys equals praise from you and every thing else is trouble.

– Maintain a productive attitude -

If nothing else, keep your expectation realistic. Neither you or your dog are perfect and there will be a good chance she will tear up something you cherishe.

In the early stage of your relationship, she is still learning the ropes: it will take a while before she will be completely reliable.) You need to give her time to learn the rules, and a lot of time with you, then she will learn faster but don’t forget tto keep things out of her reach!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. A complete manual to fast-track your dog’s learning.

June 8th, 2009 by admin

A bark control collar can be used as a safe and efficient training tool for eliminating your dog’s annoying or persistent barking. Following are the most frequently asked points I’m asked to clarify from pet owners interested in learning more about no bark collars and how they are used.

Are bark collars humane?

There has been a lot of debate about the humaneness of using a bark control collar. In my opinion, bark collars are very humane.

There are several different varieties of bark collars (Citronella or Spray Collars, Ultra Sonic Devices and Static Correction Bark Collars). For the scope of this post, I’ll center on static correction since most of the controversy about reliability and humaneness seems to concentrate on this variety.

Static collars use a harmless static shock to correct your dog when she barks. Some collars detect your dog’s bark by using a vibration sensor, some bark collars utilize a microphone to identify barking by sound; many collars use a combination of vibration and sound.

The static correction received is akin to the shock you feel when you scuff across a carpeted floor in your stocking feet and then touch a metal object. You also may have experienced this when you take your clothes out of the dryer during the wintertime and they have “static cling”. The resulting shock is startling, but would not be considered harmful.

When used properly, along with consistent training, static correction bark collars can be an effective, humane way to put a stop excessive or annoying barking.

What type of bark collar will work best for my dog?

There are some questions you should ask yourself to determine the answer. As a dog owner, you know your dog best. Some things to think about when shopping for a no bark collar:

• Your dog’s age: Shock collars or remote dog trainers should never be used on a puppy younger than 6 months of age.
• Your dog’s size & weight: Your dog’s weight and neck size should be considered when looking at collars. A bark collar for small dogs won’t be effective for a large or stubborn dog.
• Your dog’s temperament: Is your dog very difficult to train? Shy and  fearful? There are specialized bark collars that will help with either extreme, as well as standard collars that are appropriate for most dogs. An extremely timid dog may react better to a Citronella Bark Collar or Ultra Sonic system. On the other hand, a larger dog will generally respond better to a bark control collar especially made for large dogs.

Will a bark collar work on my dog?

The degree of success with bark collars is high, but you should realize that bark devices may not work in each circumstance. One way to help promote success is to commit yourself to consistent training. Choose the bark control collar that conforms best with your dog’s temperament and size, apply persistent training, and you’ll soon be enjoying quieter days.