Dogs

FEAR COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, especially for your furry, four-pawed friend. Whether in response to a stranger or startling noise, your dog may display certain body postures, including lowering his head, flattening his ears back against his head, and tucking his tail between his legs if he's scared.

IF YOU LIKE NOTHING BETTER than coming home from a hard day's work and finding that your dog decided to "go" on the couch or use your favorite slippers as a new chew toy, then crate training isn't for you. But if you're like most people, then using a crate to properly train your dog will be time well spent.

FOR SOME PEOPLE, the phrase "top dog" isn't just a saying. It actually describes their dogs. If you've got a dog who likes to boss you (or others) around, chances are you've got a dominance aggression problem in your household-a problem that could endanger you, your family, and others.

WHOEVER THOUGHT THAT RAISING A CHILD is the toughest thing to do may not have raised a puppy. After all, at least babies can wear diapers! Much like infants and toddlers, though, puppies explore their world by putting things in their mouths. Puppies are teething until they're about six months old, which usually creates some discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething, but also makes sore gums feel better.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO CONVINCE A NEW PUPPY not to bite the hand that feeds him.pets him.or plays with him, for that matter. When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths, so they may also be inclined to bite or "mouth" your hand during play or when being petted. This is rarely aggressive behavior meant to do harm, but it is a difficult habit to break unless you encourage your puppy to try an acceptable alternative behavior. The goal is to redirect your puppy's energy onto acceptable chew toys and to teach her to be gentle when a hand is in or near her mouth.

MOST PET OWNERS APPRECIATE an enthusiastic welcome from their dogs at the end of the day. But their pleasure can be substantially lessened when their dogs' wiggles of delight are coupled with a puddle of urine requiring cleanup. Your dog may have passed his housetraining with flying colors yet still not be able to control his bladder in certain situations. Submissive and excitement urination are not housetraining problems; they are involuntary reflexes that require patience and specific training methods to correct.

FOR DOGS AND OTHER ANIMAL COMPANIONS, toys are not a luxury, but a necessity. Toys help fight boredom in dogs left alone, and toys can even help prevent some problem behaviors from developing.

SOONER OR LATER EVERY DOG LOVER returns home to find some unexpected damage inflicted by his or her dog ...or, more specifically, that dog's incisors and molars. Although dogs make great use of their vision and sense of smell to explore the world, one of their favorite ways to take in new information is to put their mouths to work.

WHILE A GOOD "KRAACK" OR "BOOM" may have been good while Batman was taking down the Joker, such startling sounds are no joke for your dog. Firecrackers, thunder, and other loud, unexpected sounds often leave dogs frightened and wanting to flee to a safer place. These types of fears may develop even though your dog has had no traumatic experiences associated with the sound. The good news is that many fear-related problems can be successfully resolved. If left untreated, however, your dog's fearful behavior will probably get worse.

CONTRARY TO popular belief, housetraining a puppy requires far more than a few stacks of old newspapers-it calls for vigilance, patience, and plenty of commitment. By following the procedures outlined below, you can minimize house soiling incidents, but virtually every puppy will have an accident in the house, and more likely, several. Expect this-it's part of raising a puppy. The more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures, however, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior. It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy, and with some of the smaller breeds, it might take longer.

I DIG BECAUSE I CAN. It's the motto of dogs everywhere, and completely normal behavior.

"WHOA, ROVER, WHOA!" Sound familiar? If that's what it's like when you take your dog for a walk, you may want to consider getting a head halter.

FROM "THE LEADER OF THE PACK" to "the top dog," plenty of simplistic metaphors come from the canine world. But relationships between canines can be pretty complex, beginning with the very first meeting. Like most animals who live in groups, dogs establish their own social structure, sometimes called a dominance hierarchy. This dominance hierarchy serves to maintain order, reduce conflict, and promote cooperation among pack members. Dogs also establish territories, which they may defend against intruders or rivals. Obviously, dogs' social and territorial nature affects their behavior whenever a new dog is introduced to the household.

DOES YOUR DOG GET ON THE FURNITURE and refuse to get off? Nudge your hand and insist on being petted or played with? Refuse to come when called? Defend his food bowl or toys from you?

WE ALL LIKE TO BE PRAISED rather than punished. The same is true for your pet, and that's the theory behind positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement means giving your pet something pleasant or rewarding immediately after she does something you want her to do. Because your praise or reward makes her more likely to repeat that behavior in the future, it is one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your pet's behavior.

EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE TIME ALONE NOW AND THEN-unless of course you are a dog who suffers from separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety exhibit behavior problems when they're left alone. Typically, they'll have a dramatic anxiety response within a short time (20-45 minutes) after their owners leave them.

MUCH LIKE THE MINERS DURING THE GOLD RUSH, dogs and cats are territorial animals. They "stake a claim" to a particular space, area, or object. They let other people and animals know about their claim by marking it using a variety of methods at different levels of intensity. For example, a dog may bark to drive away what he perceives to be intruders in his territory. A cat may mark a valued object by rubbing her head against it.

IF YOU EVER WONDER if your dog's bark is worse than his proverbial bite, the answer may lie no further than your next-door neighbor. Some canine behavior problems, such as house soiling, affect only a dog's family. But problems such as escaping and excessive barking can result in neighborhood disputes and violations of animal control ordinances, and that means problems with your pet can soon become "people problems."

DOES YOUR DOG'S ability to escape from the back yard have you convinced that he's nothing less than a "Hairy Houdini"? Your never-ending attempts to keep your pet confined to your yard may seem comical at times, but every escape opens up the possibility of tragic consequences. If your dog is running loose, he's in danger of being hit by a car, injured in a fight with another dog, or hurt in any number of other ways. You're also liable for any damage or injury your dog may cause, and you may be required to pay a fine if he's picked up by an animal control agency. To prevent escapes, you'll need to find out how your dog is getting out of the yard and, more importantly, why he's so determined to get out.

DOG'S BARK MAY BE WORSE THAN HIS BITE, but most of us would rather not find out the hard way. Growling, baring teeth, snarling, snapping, and biting are all aggressive behaviors-but dog aggression includes any behavior meant to intimidate or harm a person or another animal. Although these messages are among the handful of communication tools available to dogs, they're generally unacceptable to humans. Because humans and dogs have different communication systems, misunderstandings can occur between the two species.

WELL-SOCIALIZED DOGS ARE MORE LIKELY to have well-socialized puppies. Pups often mirror their mothers' calm or fearful attitude toward people; this is a normal part of their socialization. But you can play a vital role, too, by petting, talking, and playing with puppy to help him develop good "people skills."

IF YOUR PET HAS AN APPETITE FOR such oddities as socks, rocks, or even feces, chances are you've wondered-and worried-about her unusual eating habits. In this case, your worry may be justified: Not only can your possessions be destroyed or damaged, but objects such as clothing and rocks can produce life-threatening blockages in your pet's intestines.

IF THERE'S ANY TRUTH TO THE SAYING "idle hands are the Devil's playground," then the same can certainly be said for idle paws. If you're afraid to leave your dog alone for more than a few minutes for fear of what you'll return to, try using devices called "aversives" to discourage your dog from taking a particular action or entering an area that's off-limits.