Pleasanton, CA
To some dogs, words and physical touch are key praise tools. Other dogs thrive off of toys and treats as ways of praising their good deeds. Praising dogs that get easily overstimulated or are dealing with too many stimuli will actually have a harder time with praise. Working with your dog’s individual needs is the key to long-term success.
One of the most asked questions, and that truly depends on the current behavioral stance of the dog. As pack animals, hierarchy is one of the ways that dogs adhere to the household or challenge rules and boundaries. Gaining access to the owner’s bed can sometimes increase a dog’s ability to challenge the rules in the family.
Teach threshold respect. When a dog understands the rules and how to navigate our world, they make better choices.
Each dog is different. So here are a few top questions to consider: Is your dog getting enough mental and physical exercise? Is this behavior happening when the family is gone? Is the dog trying to get to the family? Is the dog bored and has now found a fun new activity that leads to excitement? More questions help refine the reason for the behavior. Stopping this behavior starts with training and helping your pet feel less anxious and more fulfilled in their day-to-day activities.
The simplest diet is reducing the intake of food. Dogs rely on their humans for meals. If we simply cut back and add a little more activity (playing, walking, hiking), the dog will typically drop weight. If they don’t, it may be an indicator to check with your vet about other health concerns.
Each dog is different. Young dogs shouldn’t be in a situation to continuously run, as their joints are immature and can lead to cartilage breakdown as well as health issues down the line. However, a full-grown dog with healthy joints can run quite far. Start them off slowly and increase their stamina — much like humans would.
In early stages of training, regardless of age, shorter and more frequent training sessions allow the dog quality repetition without burnout or boredom. A strong training foundation is key to long-term success.
Don’t confuse love with spoiling! Love is necessary, spoiling is often excessive, and can often open up a path to poor behavior that then requires the pet to unlearn and relearn. This increases training time and frustration, which isn’t helpful to the owner or their pet. Dogs are habitual creatures and require consistency – especially in their early development period. Even adult dogs recently adopted that are brought into your home require consistency to ensure that they adhere to how you and your family live on a daily basis.
It can be a sign to pay attention to what is occurring in your dog’s environment. Are there new stressors or routine changes that could cause the dog to avoid eating as a sign of stress? If this is accompanied by digestive issues (look in the potty area), then it could be something to consider.
Absolutely. The pet food industry can often use the leftovers and throwaways from the human consumption world. Knowing about the brands’ sourcing and ingredient panels is one step to understanding what your dog is consuming and how that can help or harm their overall health.
I would first encourage you to find out about the brand. Though packaging and marketing make all refrigerated dog food seem good, they are not all created equal. Look at the ingredient panels and find out about sourcing. The more transparent the brand, usually the better.
If you are comfortable and understand where the vein in the toenail (called the quick) is located, then owners are often safer for the dog to feel okay having nails trimmed. Groomers and veterinarian clinics are usually good places to go to learn or have their nails trimmed. Some dog trainers are also a great resource – we have our hands on dogs daily and usually own several dogs ourselves.
