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Training Your Pet

May 26, 2017

How to Prevent Dog Bites, Part 1: Owner Responsibility

How to Prevent Dog Bites, Part 1: Owner Responsibility If you ask dog owners how to prevent dog bites, many will say that their dog doesn’t bite, so it’s not an issue for them. Every responsible dog owner understands that they are responsible for the behavior of their dog, including whether it bites someone. Yet these same pet owners often dismiss concerns about potential dog bites by saying, “Oh, my dog would never do that. He’s never bitten anyone and never will.” There is a first time for everything, including the first time your beloved family pet bites someone. If you’re very fortunate, the damage won’t be severe, but once a dog bites someone it’s never fully trusted again by others. If the damage is serious, you may be forced to surrender your dog or have it put down. This kind of heartache can be avoided if you know how to prevent dog bites in the first place. It’s a complex issue and are actually two separate issues: preventing your dog from biting, and protecting your family from dog bites from unfamiliar dogs. While the primary responsibility lies with dog owners, everyone should teach their children how to avoid getting bitten. Owner Responsibility: Prevent Dog Bites with Proper Training Regardless of how cute and cuddly your dog is, he has the potential to bite someone, particularly if they are fearful or threatened. The best time to train your pet not to bite is when he is a puppy. Puppies bite playfully as they grow to explore the world around them. They also chew on a lot of things, so you’ll need to teach them when biting is acceptable and when it isn’t. There are several things you can do to curb a puppy’s tendency to chew, nip or bite: • Raise your voice. You don’t need to shout, but be loud enough that it will get your dog’s attention. Each time your puppy bites you, even playfully, sternly saying “Ouch!” will let him know that he needs to stop. • Reward your puppy whenever he stops biting by playing with him or giving him a few minutes of your undivided attention. • If you’re playing with your puppy when he bites you, stop playing. Let him know that the fun stops when the biting starts. • If your puppy is in the chewing on everything phase, simply substitute a toy or old slipper for him to chew on any time he bites you. He’ll quickly learn that chewing a person is off-limits, but chewing his toys is acceptable. How to Prevent Dog Bites with Adult Dogs If you adopt an adult dog who still bites, it can be more difficult to prevent dog bites because adults are already set in their ways. It will require lots of consistency on your part to extinguish biting behavior. Consistency is even more important with adult dogs; you need to let them know that even playful nips are unacceptable every time it happens. Consider curbing rough-and-tumble play with your dog. Even playfully wrestling with your dog can lead to him biting. It can be very confusing for your dog if you discipline him for biting, then start rolling around on the floor with him. Animal instinct will tell him that since it’s play time, he can nip at you as though you are another dog. Don’t let that happen. Proper training, love and consistent discipline (not punishment!) can help you prevent dog bites by your pet. It’s an act of love to make sure that your dog never injures another animal or person. You’ll breathe easier knowing that he understands that biting is never acceptable. In Part II of “How to Prevent Dog Bites,” we’ll talk about how to prevent dog bites when you or your family members are around unfamiliar dogs.
If you ask dog owners how to prevent dog bites, many will say that their dog doesn’t bite, so it’s not an issue for them. Every responsible dog owner understands that they are responsible for the behavior of their dog, including whether it bites someone. Yet these same pet owners often dismiss concerns about potential dog bites by saying, “Oh, my dog would never do that. See more >>

April 19, 2017

Learning How to Speak Canine Makes Dog Communication Easier

Woman speaking canine to pug
  My first dip into the pool of positive reinforcement training came when I adopted a five month old feral Great Pyrenees. Grace had never been in a house. She had eaten out of a cattle trough, along with her litter, until the rancher gave each of the puppies away. She had never been touched by a human. She didn’t understand English because she was a dog. See more >>

March 25, 2017

Walking Your Cat on a Leash: Possible or Not?

white and black cat looking to the side wearing harness and leash
We have another question from a guest to The Contemporary Pet. This one is about the possibility of walking a cat on a leash. “Can I teach my cat to walk on a leash? I don’t want to let her outside in our neighborhood, but I would love to take walks with her. When I tried to put a collar on her, she freaked out, and she doesn’t really listen very well, so I’m wondering how to leash train her and whether she’ll become used to the collar.”                                                                                       See more >>

February 28, 2017

Puppy Socialization—How to Make Your Puppy’s World Bigger

For the last 16 years, I have focused on puppy and adult canine socialization as a priority in my own life as well as at my business. The stories of having a pet that cannot be around other dogs, other people, children or grandchildren, cannot travel with the family, cannot board due to aggression, are endless for pet owners, including myself. See more >>

January 14, 2017

Four Puppy Training Tips to Make Training Easier

woman training puppy to sit and beg
Every puppy looks adorable, and when you bring your new puppy home you’ll discover that she looks so cute you may have a hard time training her.  After all, she’s so sweet, you’ll just hate being stern with her.  Unfortunately, if you aren’t consistent with your puppy training, you’ll soon have a dog who isn’t well behaved.  Sometimes, this leads to a wonderful pet being dropped at a shelter because that cute behavior from a tiny ball of fur isn’t nearly as attractive in a full-grown dog. See more >>

October 9, 2016

Curbing Your New Puppy’s Undesirable Behaviors

Puppy chewing on shoe
A new puppy is always a welcome addition to your home – a cute, wiggly, furry bundle of joy that everyone will love.  Unfortunately, new puppies are also a tremendous amount of work during those first few weeks, and your puppy’s bad habits can arise if you don’t handle integrating them into the family properly.  Think about it – he’s only a few months old, has been taken away from his mother, and is expected to learn a whole new set of rules in a new household without his siblings!  See more >>
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