Question about a Puppy Mill Dog
Comments (0)The following is a recent question from a reader of my site:
Question: I recently adopted a puppy mill rescue dog. She is a Yorkie-mixed breed. All I know about her is she is that she is two years old and was kept in a barn with other breeding females. She was not even given a name and is quite shy and timid, but has a sweet disposition.
The problem I am having is house training her from peeing and pooing in the house. No matter how many times I take her out and no matter how long a time she is out, as soon as she comes in, she pees or poos. We have bonded and I love her, but I’m afraid my husband may want to get rid of her as she is destroying the hard wood floors. Please help if you can, I want to keep her.
Answer: The key lies in convincing her that it is okay to go to the bathroom outside. With puppy mill dogs this is often difficult but here are a few tips:
1- Load her up on water and then take her outside. Wait as long as it takes for her to pee outside. When she does give her a great deal of praise and treats.
2- Supervise, supervise, supervise. Dogs can only go to the bathroom in the house if they are allowed to. If you see her do it you must quickly correct her. Keep her on a leash in the house so that she can’t sneak off and go to the bathroom. If she tries to do it in front of you quickly give her a few firm tugs on the leash as you quickly rush her outside.
3- Try my matchstick trick for house training a dog.
Good luck.
A question about a licking Beagle
Comments (0)This is a question from a reader of my website.
Question: My four year old male Beagle licks constantly. He will either lick his feet or he just sits and licks the air. This behavior probably started about six months ago. What causes this and what can we do about it?
Answer: I find that dogs have excessive licking for several reasons. It may be tough to determine the ‘why’, so you may want to try several methods to fix this behavior problem.
- Nutritional: Many dogs lick due to poor nutrition. Dog foods that contain corn or corn gluten are very unhealthy for your dog. Dogs can’t digest corn and many dogs are allergic to corn. The net effect to feeding corn to your dog is often a dog that will lick and chew their feet because their feet swell from the corn. Feed your dog a premium dog food that doesn’t contain corn and that may help your dog get over his licking problem.
- A lack of self confidence: I find that a lot of excessive lickers are also dogs with low levels of confidence or high levels of fear. Licking seems to be their means of coping with their insecurities. There are lots of ways to help your dog overcome this.
Use obedience training as a means of communicating. When you see him licking tell him ‘no’ and then have him sit, or lie down, or heel, or anything. The idea is that you use obedience as a mental stimulant that distracts him from his insecure behavior. Obedience is also a great tool for cementing a proper relationship with your dog. This can go leaps and bounds towards having the dog feel well adjusted in your home.
For a dog with low self confidence I would also make sure to get the dog out to see the world on walks. Training your dog for agility is also a great way to build confidence.
- Obsessive compulsion: Humans aren’t the only ones who can have obsessive compulsive behaviors. Your dog may simply be compelled to lick for no good reason.
The solution for a dog like this is the same as for a dog with low self confidence. Correct the dog for licking and then immediately redirect his attention to obedience. Also make sure the dog is getting a good outlet for his nervous energy with walks and personal time with you.
Good luck!
Earn extra money with your pet related business
Comments (0)Do you own a pet related business? Are you a dog walker, dog trainer, pet sitter, or doggie daycare operator? If you have a business where you are in front of dog and cat owners I could help you earn more money.
Flint River Ranch is one of the world’s best dog foods. They use only human grade ingredients, don’t use fillers, don’t use chemical preservatives, offer free shipping in the lower 48 states, amongst several other benefits. Bottom line, they are a great dog food.
They also have an interesting business model. They don’t spend any money on advertising. Instead, they rely on the oldest form of marketing… word of mouth advertising. Instead of taking out expensive ads in dog magazines, TV and radio commercials, and print advertising they have set up a system where their distributors introduce their dog food to dog and cat owners, and get paid to do so.
By becoming a distributor for Flint River Ranch you are teaming up with one of the best dog foods in the world. In being able to offer a world class dog food you are also in a position to earn world class dollars. Commissions for dog food sales are 19% of the personal volume that you produce on a monthly basis. Checks are sent out every month.
The great thing about introducing your dog and cat owners to Flint River Ranch is that sales are renewable every month. If you introduce them to the food this month that means that you will be paid every month that buy the dog food. Flint River Ranch even sets you up with your own free website so that your clients can continue purchasing the food without any effort on your part.
Becoming a distributor for Flint River Ranch is a win-win situation. Your clients win by being able to feed their pets an incredible dog food and you win by earning money off of their purchases.
To learn how to become a distributor email me at admin@dogbehavioronline.com.
To buy Flint River Ranch dog food for your own pet, click here.
Do electric fences work?
Comments (0)I was recently on a dog training message board and saw a question about electric perimeter fences for dogs. I responded with my own two cents about how these invisible fences can be a great tool to keep the dog in the yard if they are used properly.
After writing my post I didn’t think too much of it. That was until I got an email from a crazed message board reader who lambasted me for recommending the electric fence. Her take on the fence was completely nuts but it did get me thinking about doing a blog post about electric fences. I know there are many people out there who need to keep their dog in the yard but aren’t sure about using a dog perimeter fence. Here is my list of pros and cons of the electric dog fence:
Reasons to use and electric fence
- Price. The cost of an electric fence is of course going to vary by the size of your yard or the brand that you are using. Generally speaking you can spend a few hundred dollars for a do-it-yourself fence up to a thousand or two for a company to come in and professionally install a fence. Is that a big investment? It sure it. But it is far more affordable than traditional vinyl, wood, or iron fencing which can easily cost $10,000 or more for even a normal sized yard.
- Aesthetics. Personally I like the feel of a wide open neighborhood. Not everyone agrees with me but I know that many do. Many people don’t like to drive through neighborhoods filled with tall fences that basically say “Go Away”. The open feel that is afforded by an electric fence is a big plus for many people.
- Function. Traditional fences can be dug underneath or climbed over. Dogs are great escape artists and even a sturdy, well built fence can be defeated by a crafty dog. With an electric fence, if you train your dog properly and install the fence properly, you can rest assured that your dog is staying put.
Reasons not to use an electric dog fence
- Control. Even though you can keep your dog in the yard an electric fence can’t keep things out. That means that other dogs can come in and people can even steal your dog if they so wanted.
- Liability. People that have very territorial or aggressive dogs probably shouldn’t use an electric fence. A traditional fence tells people to stay out. An electric fence doesn’t. What that means is that if you have a territorial dog and someone happens into your yard it is open season for your dog to bite them. For many people this means a lawsuit.
So is an electric dog fence for you? Well, weight the pros and cons and determine which method is the best to keep your dog in your yard. For do-it-yourself electric dog fences click here.
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