Dog training tips and recommendations, articles, product reviews and more by a vet assistant with 15+ years professional experience. Plus many, many years of personal, hands on as a pet mommy!
Keeping a dog, or any pet for that matter, safe, comfortable and mentally stimulated is a huge part of being a responsible pet owner. After all, we are their world and they give so much to us in joy, companionship and even provide for our safety at times. That's why when I was told about this site today I wanted to write about it and share it with you. It's called pets.become.com and they have such great prices and diversity, its amazing.
Now I am not sure if their toys are American made or not and that is a concern especially regarding animals like birds and dogs that chew their toys, because China does use dyes that are unsafe and some of their metals have been known to contain lead. So do your research when ordering things like that for your pet. But all in all they have quite the selection and great prices so they are worth checking out. In today's economy a great buy is a plus and if this can help you to afford a much needed pet carrier or whatever then its definitely worth my writing about it.
For us humans, it can be a bit difficult to identify with the doggie habit of licking one another in greeting. We don’t do it after all and though our tongues come in handy for things like ice cream eating and sucking that last dollop of peanut butter off the knife, we certainly wouldn’t welcome a visitor into our home by giving them a long, lingering lick on the cheek (unless you were brought up to embrace certain social mores currently unheard of in Western society). Dogs use their tongues to explore the world. A dog’s tongue is as important (and useful) to him as our eyes and hands are to us. It’s a multi-purpose utility tool used to taste things, explore the presence of new people and animals, express submissiveness and to let you know that he values your companionship and friendship.
Licking is a completely natural behavior for dogs and most of the time the experience isn’t something to worry about. The odd lick from a warm, moist tongue on your hand or ankle is at worst, tolerable and I must admit, I actually find it pretty adorable when my dog licks me, but then again, he’s trained not to overdo it. So I don’t have to worry about the smothering capacities that a 100-pound male Rottweiler’s tongue possesses! Some dogs just take things too far though and this is where problems can set in.
It’s not pleasant to be persecuted in your own home by a far-reaching, agile, mobile and slobbery tongue. Some won’t let you get a moment’s rest but will pursue you from bedroom to hallway to lounge to kitchen, making sporadic dive bombings of affection on your toes, ankles, calves or anywhere that flesh is exposed and available. And for a tall dog the available terrain is much more varied and thus, enticing. Ever had a long, wet dog’s tongue lathering your bellybutton as you stretch up to those elusive top shelves? When unexpected, the resultant shock is more than a trifle unbalancing!
Plenty of dogs won’t restrict themselves to your skin alone either and owners of these dogs will attest to the always visible consistency of dog saliva on clothing. Whether your outfit is black, white, or any of the myriads of shades in between there’s nothing like a viscous patch of dog slobber on a freshly-laundered hemline to advertise your ownership status and your dog’s personal level of demonstrativeness to the world at large. And once it’s dried it’s there until the next laundry run, the physical evidence of a dog’s friendship is like egg white. It’s there, it’s dried on and it’s not coming off until a combination of suds, hot water, and vigorous effort is applied. And all this because your dog wants to say “I love you”!
But there’s often a bit more to it than just plain affection. As with all animal behavior the logic behind licking is usually more complex and subtle than you might think and the same gesture can have multiple meanings dependent on circumstance. Such as your dog’s state of mind and the other behaviors being exhibited at the same time. So, although we can postulate until the cows come home or until your dog stops licking, whichever comes first, as to why your dog’s licking you such generalizations aren’t always 100% accurate. It’s partly up to you to determine the reasoning behind the actions. And since you know your dog better than anyone else you’re the ideal candidate for the job. If your dog is licking you because he’s feeling affectionate and wants to let you know it’ll be pretty easy to figure out whether this is the case or not. His body language will be relaxed and although the circumstances will be variable the surrounding mood will generally be stress-free and happy. For example, when he licks you on the shoulder or ear from his vantage point in the backseat as you’re driving him to the park or lathers your hands and wrists with goodwill and devotion when you return home from a hard day at the office. “Puppy love” is by far the most common cause of licking. It isn’t anything to worry about and it’s simple to ‘cure’ him of the habit if the behavior is a problem for you. We’ll get to that further down the page.
Another not infrequent reason for repetitive owner targeted licking is that your dog’s feeling anxious and stressed. If there are things happening in your dog’s life to cause him unhappiness or tension he’ll often show it through obsessive compulsive behaviors and licking is a pretty common manifestation of these. Some dogs will lick themselves, others will lick you, it’s really a case of individual preference. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to pinpoint the cause of your dog’s less than relaxed mindset. Is he getting enough attention and mental stimulation or is he cooped up inside for long hours each day by himself? Does he get enough exercise and outdoors time for sniffing, exploration and general exuberant tomfoolery? Do you pay him lots of attention when you’re at home or tend to greet him hurriedly before rushing off to your next commitment? These are all things that you’ll need to consider before adapting your lifestyle to address the issue accordingly. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the licking and the overall quality of your dog’s life you may need to make some general adjustments of your own to ensure that when the licking does stop, it’s because you’ve treated the cause, not the symptoms. Otherwise, you’re just trying to take away a valuable outlet for his negative emotions which is unrealistic and unfair to your friend as well.
Perhaps you need to come home more often during the day. Perhaps you need to get up half an hour earlier in the morning to give him a more substantial pre-work walk, it varies from dog to dog, but as a general rule of thumb most dogs function best and are at their most relaxed with an hour and a half’s exercise each day. Or maybe you just need to spend more time with him in the evenings playing, grooming, training and just hanging out together. Make sure you’re paying attention to his demeanor, does he seem content? And pay attention to his activity levels before you try to get rid of the licking behavior as a stand-alone problem even though he can’t talk he can still use his tongue to try and tell you something and this might be what’s happening here.
Having said that though most of the time excessive licking is simply due to excessive exuberance in your dog, he’s happy, he loves you and he has to let you know right now. When you want to get the point across that his licking’s getting a bit too much for you a simple change in your body language will convey your message loud and clear. All you need to do is withdraw the outward display of your affection for him to understand that and that you don’t like it when he covers your skin in a composite of saliva, dog-food particulate matter and scraps of debris from his fur. In plain English, this means that you just have to turn yourself away from him. When he starts to lick, get up and move away instantly. Make sure your face and eyes are dramatically averted from him, face in the complete opposite direction. Preface this with a revolted-sounding “No!” if you like, I say “No lick!” but you can use whatever comes naturally, Just keep the phrase short and easily identifiable so your dog quickly learns to recognize it. At this point, he’ll probably get up and follow you. Wait for him to do so and the licking should start again soon. When it does, repeat the process. Withdraw all signs of affection from him again, turn away, get up and leave, and don’t pay him any attention or talk to him apart from another “No!” in a disgusted, I-can’t-believe-you-haven’t-got-the-message-yet tone of voice. It’s likely that your dog will be persistent. He’s not to be easily deterred you’re the undisputed centerpiece of his life after all, and he needs to let you know this whenever the opportunity should present itself. You just need to outmatch him in persistency.
Be consistent with your actions and the message will sink in. Don’t feel that you have to shout or react negatively the simple withdrawal of your love, or the appearance of this, anyway, is quite enough. A word of warning, some people really like it when dogs lick them even if the dog concerned is not their own. If visitors to your house or admiring passersby on the street greet your dog and allow him to lick them you’ll need to intervene or else they’ll undo all your good work. It’s best if you can explain ahead of time that you’re training him not to lick and then explain the appropriate response for them to take if he should start to lick them. This way, you can be sure that your dog’s not going to be corrupted into unwanted behaviors again and that he’ll learn to express his affection in other more desirable ways.
For more information on licking and other problematic dog behaviors … You’ll probably want to check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s a comprehensive, A-Z manual for the responsible dog owner and deals with just about every canine behavior and training technique under the sun, from aggression to digging to whining to dog whispering to obedience work.
There's a difference between disobedience and incomprehension. If your dog isn't obeying a command because he doesn't understand what it is you want him to do that's not a behavioral problem at all; it simply means that you need to spend some more time together in training.
True disobedience occurs when your dog deliberately does not obey a request or command, although he has full knowledge of what it is that you're asking him to do and you know this because he's performed it reliably on several occasions beforehand. Although this may seem like a relatively minor inconvenience, it's actually a pretty serious thing. Not only can it be dangerous for your dog, for example, if he's heading towards a busy road and ignores your "come" command, but it's also detrimental to your relationship with your dog.
Disobedience is rooted in disrespect. When your dog deliberately does not obey you, he's saying, "I don't respect your authority enough to do what you want me to do". If you allow him to get away with this, you are allowing him to form the habit of passive-aggression. This is not something that can just be left to "fix itself", the problem will worsen, not get better, if you leave it. It's very important that your dog recognizes that you outrank him in the social hierarchy of the household. The concept of alpha status is one that you need to be familiar with in order to maintain a healthy, functional relationship with your dog.
It may sound cruel from a human perspective, but your dog is happier when he knows that someone else is in charge of making all the decisions, including his day-to-day behavior and obedience levels. It is not possible to have a good owner/dog relationship if he does not understand that you are the clear-cut authority figure. He must know that he's beneath you in the chain of command. Your first step in dealing with generalized disobedience is to reestablish your dominance.
Here are some tips on doing so:
1. When leaving the house or the car, you must always leave before your dog. This is unmistakable alpha behavior to a dog. Only the alpha leaves first. If you allow him to exit the house or the car ahead of you, you are saying to him "You're stronger than me; you should go first because you'"e the decision-maker". Inside doors aren't so important but every time you leave the house or the car to go outside you must make him wait for you to go first, until you release him from the "wait" with a release-word.
2. Make him wait for his food. Your family and you must always eat before him. If it means he has to wait an extra half hour or so for his meal, it won't hurt him any. When you put his food down for him make him sit and wait until you release him to eat. Keep his feeding schedule varied so that he's always aware that you're in charge of his food. Don't allow him to form expectations of when he should be fed.
3. Don't allow him free, uninhibited access to the whole house. The house is your den and you're allowing him to be inside. Remind him that you're allowing him into your den and it's a privilege for him to be there, not a right. Do this by sometimes allowing him inside, and sometimes sending him outside for half an hour or so. Keep certain areas of the house strictly for your own as well such as your bed, certain pieces of furniture or some rooms.
4. Never allow your dog to initiate play. If he's nudging you for attention or to start a game you may think that it's cute and affectionate but what he's really saying is, "I'm the boss and I'm telling you to play with me right now." If he starts bothering you for attention, ignore him for a few moments and get up and do something else. Wait until he's given up before initiating the play yourself. Playtime is a fantastic way to bond with your dog
but it should be done on your terms, not his.
5. When you arrive home, don't rush straight over to him and shower him in affection. That is not alpha behavior at all. An alpha dog upon arriving home doesn't go over to the other dogs and throw himself at them saying "Here I am! I missed you guys! Let's have a cuddle!" He ignores everyone else, relaxes for a short while, maybe has something to eat and only interacts with them when he's good and ready. Even though you're probably good and ready to interact with your dog as soon as you get home it will make more sense to him and underscore your authority if you ignore him for just three to five minutes upon arriving home.
Another fantastic way of counteracting disobedience is to start and maintain a basic obedience training plan. You don't have to do anything fancy or super-demanding, just ten minutes a day of learning and enforcing commands. This can drop to five minutes a day once your dog is completely reliable with the commands.
Here are some tips for a good training program:
1. Never give a command that you cannot reinforce immediately if he chooses to disobey you. Every time your dog takes the opportunity to ignore your command he's learning that it's both easier and a lot more fun to ignore you. For example, if you call across the park for him to "come" as he's playing with some other dogs, the choices are clear-cut to him. He could cut his play-time short and come to you or he could ignore you which is easy since you're so far away and continue to have fun. Until your dog is completely reliable with commands he should be on a long line or retractable lead so that you can enforce them if necessary.
2. Remember to use your voice to the best effect. Praise should be in a light, cheery, happy tone of voice and if possible smile at the same time. It makes a difference to your tone of voice and most dogs will study your face to make sense of your expressions too. Corrections should be uttered in a stern, brook-no-nonsense tone you don't need to shout but your voice should be low and authoritative.
3. When you're verbally interrupting your dog it's more effective to shout "OI!" or "Ah-ah-ah!" rather than saying "No. The sounds are more clear-cut and you'll get a better response.
4. Do not repeat a command. Remember, you should be training on a leash or a long line, if he ignores you, he gets a short, sharp tug, some call it a "flick" on the lead to remind him that you're present and you're in charge. Repeating yourself teaches him to wait for the command to be repeated at least once before he obeys you.
5. Five to fifteen minutes per day is an adequate amount of time for training. Any more than this in one sitting and your dog' concentration will likely lapse. Fifteen minutes of intense training where your dog is concentrating hard on what you want is enough to send even the most energetic dogs to their beds for a snooze afterwards.
6. You can move on to more advanced training and "tricks" if you feel like it, once your dog's got the basics completely sussed; but it's not something that you should feel like you have to do.
7. Another great option is formal obedience training classes. They're a great way of socializing your dog because e gets to interact with other dogs and those dogs' owners and also teaches him to concentrate on what you want despite the manifold distractions taking place around him. It's also very helpful to have face-to-face contact with a trained professional as they can pick up on any mistakes you might be making and give you advice for tightening up your training techniques.
For further information on typical doggie behavior, including a fantastic resource for training how-to's and loads of detailed information on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, check out Secrets to Dog Training. Written by a professional dog-trainer, it's an absorbing guide that deals with all the subjects a responsible dog-owner could ever want to know about and it's well worth a look.
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