When getting a dog it’s important to plan both for what you want as well as the realities of your lifestyle. Important factors include whether you have children, their ages, how much you work, what kind of hobbies you enjoy, etc.
People often ask what the best dog breed is for families with kids. The fancy, approved by dog trainers answer tends to be that any dog will do well if trained properly (assuming the kids are also trained properly). At the same time, Golden Retrievers and Labs are among the most popular dogs for a reason.
If you’re a busy person with limited free time, you should consider that as well. Perhaps a bulldog would work better than a dalmatian?
The most important thing to remember is that you should not get your new dog based on looks alone. All dogs are good looking in their own way, but that’s no guarantee it’s a good match.
To help you in your research we’ve put together a few quick quizzes to provide you with tips on finding the right match for you, http://students.dogacademy.com/games/match
I remember a few years ago when I was working down in North Carolina as a high school teacher. I was just out of college and starting out at a wonderful, small school in the central part of the state.
But it was hard, teaching is a real challenge that has you going from sun up to sun down. After a rough day I came home and just laid down on the floor exhausted. My pal Sasha, a slightly overweight Samoyed, followed me right into the room and sat there hanging out with me, trying to make me feel better.
She didn’t usually follow me anywhere when I got home. But this day, probably the hardest one I had there, she did. I always remember that when I hear that you always have to be the pack leader or always maintain your alpha status. Not really. You should set clear rules and enforce them consistently, but it’s still you and your dog.
Don’t overdo it. Appreciate the love and support you get from your dog. And appreciate the opportunity to provide love and support to your dog. Training is there to make things easier on all of you – so spend time creating structure but don’t let life’s magical moments slip by.
post by Jon
With August right around the corner the hottest days of the summer are still to come. With that in mind, here are some warning signs of dehydration in your dog and information about steps to take if he’s dehydrated.
Warning signs include
- Loss of skin elasticity
- Lethargy
- Depression
- Sunken eyes
- Dry gums
- Increased heart rate
- Slow capillary refill time
As with humans, dehydration cannot be safely treated by drinking lots of fluids. This can be dangerous; it is safer and more effective to use IV’s to rehydrate the body. Therefore, if your dog is suffering from dehydration you need to take him to the vet.
Here are some things you can do to prevent dehydration in your dog:
- Provide him with a bowl of fresh water
- Keep him inside most of the time with the AC on
- Take him for walks early in the morning or later in the evening (also helps keep his paws safe)
- Limit his outside time during the summer
- Play games like fetch inside
- Let him play in a kiddie pool in the backyard
- Have his hair shaved (caution – make sure you use a flea and tick product)
One of the advantages of Halloween costumes for your dog is that if they don’t like wearing it, they’ll be moping around and less likely to steal candy.
Unfortunately kids are the most common targets of dog aggression. For a variety of reasons, including both behavior and their size, kids end up being bitten more often and with worse results.
To prevent dog aggression toward kids, you have to do a few easy things.
First, always supervise them when they are around each other. Many bites occur when adults assume that the family dog won’t bite and forget that young children occasionally torment animals. Left with just each other, it’s not out of the question that the child will end up cornering the dog, pulling his hair, hitting him or doing something else that scares out a response.
Keeping an eye on them provides you with the chance to prevent things from getting out of hand. When you can’t supervise them, put the dog in another room, in his crate, or outside.
Second, set clear rules for what behavior is acceptable. Make sure your dog doesn’t get away with snapping or growling, but also make sure your kids know how to behave around the dog. There should be no yelling, kneeing or hair pulling.
Set clear rules about play – no roughhousing or wrestling because that can get out of hand.
And never let kids punish the dog. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Finally, involve kids in dog obedience training. By spending structured time with the dog they will learn how to properly communicate with him while he’s learning to heed their commands. This makes it easier on both of them to get along.
Fantastic weather this weekend, looks like spring’s on the way. Most of the Dog Academy team will be pleased, though it’s always hard to break the news of winter’s passing to the Magnificent Malamute.
Adding the verification code, D9V3N7AHA8B2.
Puppies love to nip and bite at people. But these bites can be painful. If you find yourself fleeing an 8 pound monster, here’s some tips to help.
Withdraw your Attention
When your puppy starts nipping/biting at you, stop interacting with him. Turn away and don’t acknowledge him until he settles down.
Verbal Correction
Use either a Leave It command or No to express that you want him to stop. Speak firmly but without overdoing it.
No Free Lunch
Make sure your puppy is earning his rewards. If he gets too much for free he’s less likely to view you as top dog and more likely to engage in dominant behaviors.
Eliminate the Rough Play
Rough-housing and tug of war encourage rough play by your puppy. If he’s having problems with playing too rough, eliminate these games. Also, make sure the kids aren’t being too rowdy with him. Yelling, running and quick movements get puppies riled up.
Spray Bottle
Still no luck? Try using a spray bottle with water in it or an empty aluminum can with coins in it. The goal is to startle him when he starts the behavior, snapping him out of it so it doesn’t escalate.
For additional help getting your puppy trained, please check out our Bright Start Puppy Program.
Killing toys is a fairly common problem in dogs. There are several problems it can cause, though, so it’s important to address the behavior.
Why Dogs Kill Toys
There are three main reasons why they do this
There are 3 main dangers posed by this behavior. Toys with squeakers pose choking hazards, killing toys can increase aggression and aggressive resource guarding can result.
To prevent these problems from developing, you can do the following.
1. Increase the amount of exercise he gets. Longer walks help, as do walking accessories that help you go faster (such as rollerblades) and items that make him work harder (such as doggy backpacks)
2. Replace toys that have squeakers with indestructible chew toys. (You can also supervise him when he plays with squeaky toys to ensure that he doesn’t rip it open and swallow the noise maker).
3. Use a No Free Lunch policy, making your dog earn treats and affection. This helps cement you as the pack leader, making it easier for you – he’ll respect you more and be more inclined to follow your instructions.
4. Teach him the Drop It command. Begin by trading him a treat for the toy (it helps to begin with a less valued toy). After a few runs introduce the command. Practice this until he’s got it and then use the command any time he’s becoming overzealous.
5. Try tougher toys. Kong has a good line of products for power chewers. If he destroys these too, then probably toys aren’t the right activity for him.
Good weather in the St. Louis area today. Although it was officially in the 30′s, with the sun shining and little wind, it felt much warmer. Got a chance to take Deuce out for two walks and it was a joy to see him moving so well. He’s an 11 year old Malamute, but other than an occasionally rickety knee and hip, he’s in great shape.
Received a newsletter email from Cesar Millan indicating Daddy passed last Thursday. 16 years old. That’s a long, good life. Thoughts and condolences go out to Cesar on the loss of a good dog and a better companion.
