Start “Basic Training” for Your Puppy Right Away
Spring and summer are puppy season, and many homes have been blessed with furry little bundles of joy – along with chewed-on furniture, nipped fingers, and soiled carpets.
Best Friends professional trainers recommend that you begin training your puppy as soon as he arrives in your home. This will avoid these problems and let puppy know what’s expected of him.
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Parlez-Vous “Dog”? Learn the Language of Your Pet
Although he may not use "words", your dog is always communicating. Dogs use their bodies to express their emotions, to show affection and to identify rank.
Unlike humans, dogs don’t hide their emotions — so what you see is what he’s really feeling.
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The Great Crate Debate: Kindness or Cruelty
To crate or not to crate: that is a question that provokes strong disagreement among dog owners. If you are about to add a dog to your household, you’ve probably heard both points of view.
Opponents of crating view it as a form of imprisonment and charge that it is cruel.
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Is Your Dog A Pushy Pooch?
Most dogs are happy to assume a submissive role in the family, allowing you to be the leader of the pack. Others may enjoy challenging you for control. If you’re not the top dog in your family, its time to put your pooch back in his rightful place for his own good as well as yours.
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Noise Control: Dealing with your Dog’s Barking
It’s a fact of life: dogs bark. They bark to get attention, to communicate a message or to tell us they’re excited or scared. You’ll never stop your dog from barking altogether (you shouldn’t want to), but you can help him control it.
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Coping with Doggie’s Destructive Chewing
All dogs chew. It’s a normal and necessary part of a dog’s life.
Puppies chew to relieve the discomfort of teething. Young dogs use their mouths to investigate the world around them. Adult dogs chew to relieve boredom and anxiety, or just because it’s fun.
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Making Housetraining as Simple as 1-2-3
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing new pet owners is how to teach the dog where and when to eliminate. The solution is actually quite simple and effective, and will leave you with a minimal mess if you follow the basic rules.
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When Accidents Happen: Re-Housetraining Your Pet
Even the best-trained pet can have a temporary housetraining lapse. Cold weather and changes in a pet’s schedule, food or environment can also result in an occasional "accident."
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Does Doggy “Dig” Digging?
They can’t help it; dogs dig. Digging is an innate behavior that satisfies basic needs. Some breeds, such as terriers and Huskies, have a stronger digging urge than others.
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Are Dog Head Halters Humane?
One of the more popular new tools in dog training is the head halter. Endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States, head halters are not only highly effective in teaching dogs how to walk properly, but are useful in obedience training as well.
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Back to School for Buddy
September can be a difficult transition time for the family dog. After having the children home to play with all summer, your best friend may be lonely and bored – especially if mom and dad are off at work all day.
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Understanding Your Dog’s Body Language
Dogs communicate with actions. Eye movement, body gestures, ear positions, tail wagging and more all have meaning are indicative of canine attitudes.
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Allowing Your Dog On The Furniture
Whether you choose to let your dog on the furniture or not is really a matter of personal preference. There are pros and cons to each.
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Dominance Problems In Dogs
Dominance aggression problems in dogs can be very serious, potentially endangering you, your family and others. If you think that your dog may have a dominance aggression problem, it’s important that you deal with the problem.
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How To Dog-Proof Your Home
If you’re bringing home a new puppy or dog, it’s important that you first dog-proof your home. You want to go about this just as you would for a young child.
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Vocalization and Dogs
Dogs begin making noise nearly as soon as they are born, crying in a variety of tones that alert their mother as to whether they are hungry or in pain or simply contented.
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The City Dog
Living in the city doesn’t mean that you can’t own a dog. Lots of dogs, both small and large, are perfectly happy being city dogs.
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How to prevent puppies from biting and chewing
Your puppy will need chew toys that outlast his teeth and others that he can really get his teeth into. Add some squeaky toys, balls, tug-o-ropes, and whatever else you think your pup will enjoy that won’t hurt him.
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Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks
The first rule in understanding dogs and training is that dogs do not all learn at the same rate. Learning ability and intelligence don’t always go hand in hand.
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Benefits of Adopting Older Dogs
An older dog may not have the same boundless energy of a puppy, but that can be a good thing. They can be far less demanding as some of their younger counterparts.
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Separation Anxiety and How to Deal with it
Separation anxiety can be a tough problem to deal with, for you and your dog. There are several things that may trigger a response of separation anxiety in your dog, including the following:
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Training Exercises to help Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety can be a tough problem to deal with, for you and your dog. There are several things that may trigger a response of separation anxiety in your dog, including the following:
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How to Deal with Separation Anxiety
For more severe cases of separation anxiety, you can do all of the above techniques combined with a process of desensitization meant to get your dog used to being alone.
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Dog Behavior and reasons for Submissive Urinating
Accidents are bound to happen. Dogs may get excited and spontaneously urinate, others may do so as a sign of submission.
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Understanding Dog Adolescence
Many people are very surprised and dismayed to discover that dogs, like people, go through adolescence. Puppies usually make the transition into adulthood around the age of six months or so.
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Difficulties of Canine Adolescence
Canine adolescence can be a difficult time for everyone involved. In fact, most dogs are given up to shelters because of behavior problems occurring when they are adolescents.
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Communicating With Your Dog
Communication between dogs and humans doesn’t have to be a completely foreign thing. In fact, dogs can understand certain types of body language and eye contact as well as about three tones of voice.
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Preventive Training and Your Dog
Preventive training is a method of dog training that means that you, as the owner, prevent your dog from exhibiting unwanted behaviors.
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Common Misconceptions About Dogs
Misconception #1: Dogs prefer to be outside rather than being cooped up in the house all day. By nature, dogs are pack animals. They’d prefer to be with their pack.
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Misconception #2: Putting a dog in a crate is cruel
Misconception #2: Putting a dog in a crate is cruel. Dogs are not only pack animals by nature, they’re also den animals.
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Misconception #3: Dogs need to be shown who’s boss
Misconception #3: Dogs need to be shown who’s boss. While this is true to some degree, there is often a misconception concerning how to go about it.
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Misconception #4: My dog knows he’s being naughty
Misconception #4: My dog knows he’s being naughty. Your dog can only know that he’s being naughty if you’ve taught him what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not.
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Teaching Your Dog Basic Commands
Establishing a great relationship with your dog is very important. Good relationships are based on communication and understanding.
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Teaching Your Dog The Come Command
The sooner you begin teaching your dog the “come" command, the better chance you have for a lifetime of consistent recalls.
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Teaching Your Dog The Find A Spot
The “Find a Spot” command may not be the most well-known command but it is, nonetheless, a wonderful command to teach your dog.
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House Breaking Your New Puppy
Housetraining is the process by which your puppy learns to relieve himself in an appropriate area, such as outside, and not in your home.
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Making the Right Choice on Dog Collars and Leads
There are a couple of items that every dog should have – a collar of some sort and a leash.
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Choosing a Dog Collar and Lead
For your dog to be safe and comfortable, the collar must fit correctly. Here’s the rule of thumb (or should we say finger?):
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Harnesses and Head Collars
A harness is placed around the dog’s chest and ribcage, and therefore eliminates the potential for choking.
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How to find the right Leash for your Dog
Choosing The Type of Leash for Your Dog: Nylon Leashes – Nylon leashes are very durable and washable, and come in a variety of colors.
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Avoiding Training Mistakes
People who are too busy, or just too lazy, and don’t take the time to train their dog usually end up regretting it.
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The Sport of Dog Agility
Since its original debut at the Crufts dog Show in 1979, dog agility has become the most rapidly growing dog sport throughout North America, England and Western Europe.
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Flyball
Since it’s debut in the late 1970′s, the dog sport of flyball has become increasingly more popular. Flyball is a team sport.
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