Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Is Your Dog Sending You Barking Mad? How To Deal With Any Behavior Problem

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While we love our dogs, inevitably there comes a time when they cause us to feel irritated. Dogs don’t understand the subtlety of human emotions or needs. And they certainly have no idea whether they’re doing something that their owners don’t like. It’s a problem, and it’s one of cognition.

Suppose for instance your dog does something you don’t like, like begging at the table. You could shout at your dog, but your pooch usually has no idea that this is an act of aggression. Instead, there’s just as much chance that they interpret it is a form of communication and enjoy it. It’s why you see some owners repeatedly shouting at their pooches to no effect. Dogs just don’t get it. They don’t have the brainpower.

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But what if there was a way to deal with your dog’s irritating behavior once and for all? What if there was a simple trick you could use to stop all the begging, barking, and mad running that drives you crazy?

Well, it turns out that there is. You can put a stop to things like destructive chewing, peeing on the carpet, digging up the garden, jumping up on visitors every time they come to the front door, pulling on the leash and stealing food. All of these behaviors fall into the “annoying” category because they’re not usually a sign of a dog in distress, just one that hasn’t been particularly well acclimatized to living in the human environment.

Preventing A Dog From Driving You Crazy

It’s worth pointing out that your dog isn’t trying deliberately to make you crazy. The reason it's doing what it’s doing is because of its instincts. It has nothing to do with getting revenge on you or trying to make your life miserable. Dogs just don’t work that way. They don’t have a concept of sadism or hate. It’s not in their playbook. All they understand is how they feel right here and now. They’re fundamentally creatures of instinct, looking for ways to make their doggy lives better.

If your dog is tearing up the sofa, the usual reason is that it’s bored and wants to do something fun. The same if it starts scratching up the doors. It just wants attention or the sensation on its paws. If it’s tugging on the lead, it usually means that doing so gives the dog what it wants, such as getting to a particular part of the park. If a dog is ripping up the garden, it’s the same thing again: it’s probably bored.

So what can you do about this sort of thing? How do you avoid these annoying behaviors?

Change The Behavior In Flashpoint Situations

If your dog exhibits problem behaviors in particular situations, then it’s worth working on these specifically and attempting to resolve the issue. If you replace bad behaviors with good, your dog will focus on those instead of doing the things that they were doing previously.

Let’s say, for instance, that you’ve scoured the best wooden dog kennels on the market, but your dog still won’t go to bed at night and prefers to stay up barking in the yard instead. The trick to getting the dog to do what you want it to do is to give it just one behavior to follow that rewards it in each situation. You can be as creative as you like, but the reward has to be simple.

Pixabay - CC0 License
One idea in this situation, for instance, is to give your dog a treat if it returns to the kennel for the night without barking and withholding treats if it does bark.

You can apply this simple logic to all kinds of situations. For instance, you can teach your dog to sit or go and lie down whenever guests arrive, or the mailman walks up the drive. Getting it to perform an alternative behavior makes it impossible for the dog to bark and get a treat for going to its dog bed to lie down at the same time. It has to choose one or the other, and usually, it’ll select the one with the greatest reward. 

What about things like digging up the garden? Here’s where you’ll need to be a little more inventive. The reason your dog wrecks the garden isn’t because it hates your landscaping, it’s because the dog is bored and wants fun. Digging is just a byproduct. You can’t remove your dog’s desire for entertainment, but you can make it less destructive. Instead of having them dig up the garden, build a sandpit with toys and get them to dig that up instead. Sandpits contain the destruction and prevent it from spilling over onto the rest of your property. When your dog uses the sandpit, reward it.

Never Reward The Behavior You Don’t Want

There’s no point rewarding your dog for the behavior that you do want if you also reward those things that you don’t want.

Dogs are very good at figuring out which tactics get them what they want, and which don’t. But should you just ignore them or do something to prevent their behavior?

Most of the time, ignoring will suffice. Let’s say that your dog barks every evening for food when it sees you making dinner. It could be that, in the past, you making dinner and your dog barking was a way for it to get fed. The best strategy here is to simply ignore it. Eventually, it’ll realize that barking isn’t getting it what it wants and know that the game is up.

The same goes for begging at the table. So long as everyone in the family agrees with the rule that you never feed the dog from the table, the begging will stop.

Finally, if you notice a new positive behavior that you like, reward it intensely. You want your dog to be in no doubt that that is the behavior that they should choose. Rewards can include everything from affirmations to treats - so long as your pooch gets the message. 


Saturday, September 14, 2019

BarkBox Review | Barkbox Unboxing | September 2019 | Bark Guide Must Squeak TV Graze Anatomy





BarkBox Review | Barkbox Unboxing | September 2019 | Bark Guide Must Squeak TV Graze Anatomy
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Friday, September 6, 2019

4 Things to Buy as a Dog Owner

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If you are thinking about getting a dog, along with the love, training, and attention that he will need from you, it is also worth considering the products that he will need in order to thrive. This is why today we are sharing with you four things to buy as a dog owner.

Items to keep them healthy

Food is the obvious one here, yes, a dog will need food! Do your research to ensure that you are choosing the best that you can to give your dog with the right nutrients. You are also going to need a food and water bowl.

Your dog will require regular grooming--how regular will depend on the breed. Then, you need to consider preventing or treating worms, fleas and ticks, along with vaccinations.

You will want to look into vet care and pet insurance so that your dog can have regular health check ups and emergency care if required.

Items to keep them exercised and entertained

Your dog is going to need mental and physical stimulation daily, so you will want to buy or make products to keep him happy.

Dogs need regular walks, so you are going to need a collar or harness and leash and perhaps something to keep them safe in your car if you plan to take them out in it.

You will then want to get a variety of toys to keep your dog busy and look into different canine enrichment ideas for further inspiration and potential buys.

You could subscribe to something like BarkBox to ensure you get a new toy monthly, along with treats and surprises for your pet.

Image Pixabay - Pixabay License


Items to keep them comfortable

Most dogs like to have their own bed. Even those pets that are allowed on the sofas and cuddle happily into you each evening will benefit from having their own space. There are a wide variety of options that you can choose from and you might find that you need to get to know your dog before being able to choose the perfect bed for him.

Some dogs are chewers and might destroy soft beds so plastic might be better. Others would favor a crate so that they have a den, and you might want to crate them for their own safety when you are not around. Some are happy with a flat bed to stretch out on, whilst others like a snuggle sack to disappear into. You might also find that you buy more than one for different rooms in the house.

Treats for yourself

When you become a dog owner, they take up so much of your heart and your attention. All deservedly so, which means that it can be fun to celebrate owning them with a few treats.

If you have a particularly popular breed, you might find that there are products in all of the shops that you can grab, from mugs through to bed linen. Then, there are the general dog-loving products that you can pick up, such as fun magnets or signs.

You might choose to go for something more personal, maybe some custom pet art or jewelry with your pet’s paw prints.

Are you even a dog owner if you don’t own something doggy yourself?

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Here are a Few Things that You Need to Know Before Getting a Dog

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If you are thinking about getting a dog then you will know what a huge decision this can be. You may feel as though your life is going to change for the better and that you’re going to gain a new member of the family too. This is great, but if you do not prepare yourself, then you may end up making a wrong decision.

Dogs are for Life

The average age of a dog is around 13 years. For this reason, you have to make sure that you are ready for a long-term commitment. Your puppy may be energetic to begin with, but eventually they will get older and they may even require a little more care or more frequent visits to the vets. You have to make sure that you are prepared for this and that you are ready to accept this kind of responsibility.

Research your Breed

Before you go out and buy the first dog you see, you have to make sure that you research your breed. You need to make sure that you choose one that is suitable for your home and your surroundings too. For example, you may have an average-sized home and a border collie may be a great fit for your lifestyle, but if you don’t live near any open fields then your new pup might not be able to burn their energy as much as they need to, unless you’re willing to drive.

Time

Getting a dog can be time-consuming and you have to be ready to make sacrifices. Bringing a dog into your life may mean that you have to give up your lie-ins and that you also have to give up the occasional weekend to take them on enriching walks. If you’re not quite ready to do this then you may not be ready for a dog.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Costs

Dogs can be expensive to say the least, so you have to make sure that you have the funds required to take care of them. Your dog will need to go to the vet, have a collar, a bed and even a lead. As if that wasn’t enough, you also need to buy them toys and other accessories too. This will help you to keep them happy and safe, and it will also make you a more responsible dog owner overall.

Pet Healthcare

Have you ever looked into fruit for dogs? Do you know which foods are poisonous to your furry friend? Educating yourself is so important when you own a dog because it’s your job to put their welfare first. This could involve taking them to the vets for vaccinations or it may even mean taking out a bigger insurance policy. This will help you to cover any unexpected health bills and it will also help you to keep your pet safe in every possible instance. If you can afford a dog but not the healthcare cover they need, then this could put both you and your pet in a bad situation.