Neutering makes male dogs much less likely to roam or fight and prevents testicular cancer. Spaying female dogs reduces the stress and discomfort endured during heat periods, eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, and greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer. Sterilizing dogs helps stem the tide of companion-animal overpopulation. Don’t fight or shout in their presence, and give them their own hiding places to dash into when they want to be alone. Animals are very sensitive and can become easily frightened, so speak softly to dogs. A happy dog’s life is not one long series of commands: Let them live a little, make choices, and take their time. Socialization and SecurityĪnimals get depressed if deprived of adequate social interaction, so let them “chat” and play with other dogs on walks and at parks. For a dog who pulls too hard, try the Easy-Walk™ harness (available online), which discourages pulling without discomfort to the dog. Choke and prong collars can be painful and injure your dog. Leashes and Harnessesĭogs are safest and most comfortable wearing a nylon harness, not a collar, when out walking. But this practice deprives dogs of basic necessities, such as the freedom to walk around and look out the window, the opportunity to relieve themselves, and the comfort of stretching out.
Often, however, it will turn out that the true reason for crating is to protect furniture or simply because it’s convenient. If you can’t go home at lunchtime, enlist the help of a neighbor or professional dog-walker.Ĭrating has recently become a popular practice often used on adult dogs by people who say that they are protecting their dogs. Take your adult pooch out at least four times a day and allow him or her time to linger and smell the fire hydrants. Crate training does not speed up the housebreaking process: Puppies do not develop full bladder control before 6 months of age and are physically incapable of “holding it” for very long. Immediately after they “do their business,” they should be praised lavishly in a high-pitched, excited voice. Puppies should be taken out at least once every two hours (or within a half hour after eating or drinking) and guided to the same spot where they can smell having relieved themselves before. The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller and, for solving dog behavioral problems, If Only They Could Speak, Dogs Behaving Badly, and The Dog Who Loved Too Much, all by Nicholas Dodman. Good books on the subject include Click Here for a Well-Trained Dog by Deborah A. Training should not include any activity or device that endangers animals (e.g., electric shock collars) or puts undue stress on them.
Be the one to train your dog-you are the one who will need to know how to communicate with him or her-but get help from a humane dog trainer if you run into problems.Ĭompassion, clarity, and consistency are the most important elements of dog training. Untrained dogs are often punished for their “improper” behavior. Humane, interactive training gives dogs greater freedom and a better understanding of our world. You and your dogs speak different languages. Chained dogs kill as many children as do firearms, and they kill more than falls from trees, playground equipment, and fireworks accidents put together. They can suffer from stress and loneliness, heatstroke in the summer, and frostbite, hypothermia, and dehydration in the winter.īecause of the danger and cruelty that it poses, several communities have banned the chaining of dogs. Dogs left unattended in their own yards, even for a few minutes, have been stolen, poisoned, and beaten.
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