Dogs Behavior Articles

Dog behavior issues are common in puppies and can quickly be fixed through proper training at a young age. Providing positive reinforcement and setting boundaries for your dog will lead to a happy relationship between you and your pet. Dogs feel more comfortable when boundaries are set and they know what is expected of them. If you are dealing with a current behavior issue, there are ways to change your dog's behavior, regardless of age. Options include hiring a professional dog trainer, doing your own behavior modification, or changing your dog's environment to solicit a positive, wanted behavior. Learn to recognize triggers, get tips and advice below.

• Why Puppies Sleeping All Day Is Normal

  Puppies sleeping a lot isn't cause for concern. Puppy sleep hours can range from 18 to 20 a day, versus the 14 hours of daily sleep by an adult dog. This is because puppies are growing and they need their rest.

• Why is Your Dog Eating Grass?

  A dog eating grass is not uncommon. Even if dogs are known as carnivores, they can be considered omnivores, as they eat greens and vegetables.

• Why Experts Advise Against Dogs Sleeping on Human Beds

  Dogs sleeping on their owner's bed can result in some problems. Your dogs wanting to sleep with you isn't itself a bad thing.

• Why Dogs Bark

  Having a dog has a lot of benefits, but dogs have negative behaviors and barking is one of them. Being a dog owner, you must know why dogs bark, to make sure you understand your dog’s behavior and train him not to do this.

• Why Dog Snoring May Require Allergy Testing

  It's common to hear your dog snoring in his sleep. Dogs snore when something is obstructing their upper airway passage.

• Why Does a Dog Nap Throughout the Day?

  It's very normal, and even expected, for a dog to frequently nap throughout the day. If he is not eating, being walked, chasing things around, being-on-guard or simply watching you, he's probably napping.

• Why Do Dogs Eat Feces?

  A mother dog eating feces is a natural behavior. They eat the feces while cleaning their nursing puppies.

• When Should Dog Behavior Training Begin?

  While the perfect age to begin dog behavior training is up for debate, it is believed that the earlier your dog takes obedience classes, the better.

• What Breed of Dog Is the Most Low-Maintenance?

  Learning what breed of dog is low maintenance helps you choose a dog that fits your busy lifestyle. Some pets require hours of exercise and grooming every day causing people to feel owning a dog is not necessarily for them.

• Vestibular Disease

  Geriatric vestibular syndrome, which is also called peripheral vestibular syndrome and idiopathic vestibular syndrome, occurs for unknown reasons. It can be really frightening, especially in dogs that can't even lay still because they just roll over and over until something stops the movement. However, like your experience, it usually clears up within a few days and most dogs never have another recurrence.

• Using Training to Stop Dog Digging

  Digging is a natural instinct for your dog. It relieves stress and reduces pent up energy. So, to stop a digging dog, you must teach him an alternative behavior.

• Urination, submissive and excitement

  Puppies that have very submissive personalities tend to urinate small amounts when greeting people or when someone makes sudden movements or assumes a dominant position, even inadvertently.

• Urination Behavior Problems

  Ingesting its own urine is very unlikely to cause any significant problems in a dog, since any organisms in the urine are already present in the dog's system. As long as another water source is freely available there should be no problem.

• Understaning Dog Nipping Behavior

  Dog nipping problems happen for a variety of reasons. Nipping may simply be a play behavior or can be the beginning of a more serious problem stemming from aggression.

• Understanding the Dog-Master Relationship

  The dog master relationship is often misunderstood because of outdated dominance theories. Many trainers say that to be a true alpha, you must eat before your dog, walk out doors before them and keep them off the furniture.

• Understanding Puppy Aggression

  Understanding puppy aggression is important in order to avoid problems later in your dog's life. Aggressive behavior is an issue that only gets larger as the puppy does, and is not something that the puppy will outgrow.

• Understanding Dog Tail Wagging

  Dog tail wagging is only one of the many ways that dogs communicate with humans. While it may seem like a natural behavior for a dog to wag his tail, the action itself definitely has some meaning and merit.

• Understanding Dog Sleep Patterns

  The dog sleep behavior depends on the age, breed and personality of the dog. However, on average, dogs sleep 14 hours a day.

• Understanding Dog Psychology

  Dog psychology is not like human psychology and, often, that communication gap leads to damaged relationships between people and their pets. By learning how your dog perceives the world, you can help him learn to fit into yours.

• Understanding Dog Memory

  Scientific research on dog memory has lead to many questions as well as some answers. As a dog owner, you can make educated guesses about your dog's memory span including...

• Understanding Canine Dementia

  Canine Dementia or Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome is common in older dogs, occurring sooner in larger breeds. Similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, dog dementia causes disorientation, confusion, memory loss and personality changes.

• Two Dog Behavior Questions Frequently Asked By New Owners

  New dog owners are bound to have a lot of dog behavior questions. Oftentimes, the fear of doing the wrong thing keeps a new dog owner from correcting or understanding bad behavior.

• Treating Dogs With Separation Anxiety

  Separation anxiety may be at the root of many of your dog's behavior problems. Here's how you can recognize and deal with your dog's separation anxiety.

• Treating Dog Snoring Through Diet

  Excess weight and obesity are two of the top causes of dog snoring. The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine estimates that of the 62 million dogs living in America today, 3.1 million (5%) are considered obese.

• Treating Dog Depression without Medication

  Dog depression is a common but treatable condition. Depression may be caused by the absence of the owner, change of owner or moving house, a disease or chemical imbalance.

• Treating Dog Depression with Prozac

  Dog depression may commonly occur in pets due to different events, diseases, loss of a companion, loneliness, boredom or chemical imbalance. The depression may be a transitory condition, however if the depression persists, you need to seek medical advice.

• Treating Dog Behavior Problems: Training vs. Medication

  Dog training behavior problems can usually be resolved with time, patience and consistency. If possible, a drug free solution is best, because drugs carry side effects that can last long-term.

• Treating Canine Behavior Issues With Prozac for Dogs

  As more people accept dogs as a member of their families, they are more willing to seek medical treatments for emotional issues, prozac for dogs.

• Tips for Keeping Dogs Off Furniture

  Dogs relish in an opportunity to be close to their human companion but oftentimes we do not want them with us on the furniture. Here are a few tips and techniques for keeping dogs off furniture.

• Tips for Dog Stress Reduction

  Dog stress can be a serious issue that may lead to behavior problems.

• Tips for Dog Chewing Prevention

  Dog chewing is characteristic of puppies, but can also occur in adults. Dogs chew when they are bored, curious, stressed or suffer from a medical condition. Teething puppies also display chewing behavior.

• Tips for Canine Behavior Modification at Home

  Canine behavior modification is useful for a wide variety of dog behaviors from simple jumping to complex aggression. Behavior modification can easily be done at home with a little bit of consistency and creativity.

• Thunderstorm Anxiety

  It is hard to recreate the entire effect of a thunderstorm in order to pursue desensitization. Some dogs control their fear by hiding. This is actually a reasonable response and if it occurs, it is best to provide a safe spot to hide rather than to get dismayed and discourage the behavior or to interfere by trying to be with the dog and comfort it. 

• The Top Ten Questions about your Pet

  The questions our clients most often ask about their pets.

• The Side Effects of Fluoxetine for Dog Behavior Treatment

  Fluoxetine, the generic anti-anxiety drug better known as Prozac, is increasingly being prescribed for behavior problems in dogs such as fear aggression and separation anxiety.

• The Nature and Nurture of Dog Personality

  Dog personality is very important when it comes to choosing a breed that's appropriate for you and your family. The personalities of dogs can be measured, even though they don't have as many dimensions as human personalities.

• The Chewing Dog: Behavior Modification Solutions

  Chewing is one of the most common dog behavior complaints made by owners. Dogs chew for a variety of reasons.

• Symptoms of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS)

  Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS) or canine dementia is commonly found in older dogs, occurring sooner in the larger breeds. Also known as canine cognitive disorder, it is similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans, causing confusion, disorientation, personality changes and memory loss.

• Stop Your Dog From Snoring

  If you want to stop dog snoring, you have to start by addressing the underlying issues. For starters, one of the main reasons dogs snore is obesity.

• Stop a Dog from Chewing

  Dog chewing is a natural behavior but may create a lot of problems in a household and may also cause dog injuries. You can stop a dog from chewing, but you need to identify the cause for this behavior and apply the most appropriate training techniques and tips.

• Should You Let Your Dog Sleep with You?

  Many dog experts and owners believe that letting your dog sleep with you can lead him to feel that he's the dominant member of the pack, causing aggression and disobedient behavior. Dogs who are normally dominant may become more aggressive and disobedient if you allow them to sleep with you, rather than relegating them to a dog bed.

• Severe Aggression in Dogs

  Behaviorists feel that there is a difference in this behavior since many of the incidences have a specific pattern in which the dog really appears to be in an altered state of consciousness at the time of attacks and that there may be a genetic factor influencing a specific syndrome that is different than dominance aggression.

• Separation Anxiety

  Separation anxiety may be the most common behavioral problem in dogs. Dogs can not ask you where you are going and when you will be home.

• Separation and Other Anxiety Disorders In Dogs

  Separation anxiety may be the most common behavioral problem in dogs. It is very likely that your husky is experiencing this problem. Dogs can not ask you where you are going and when you will be home. They can’t be comforted by leaving a phone number where you can be reached.

• Selecting and Applying a Dog Muzzle

  Using a dog muzzle can be a helpful and safe way to bring your dog to the vet or new social area, for training or to prevent biting. A muzzle should never be used as a punishment, to deal with aggression problems, or prevent a dog from breathing, especially in hot weather.

• Seizure Activity

  Dogs definitely have a wide variation in seizure activity but it is hard to say whether seizures which might not cause recognizable clinical signs occur because it is so hard to judge the mental state of the dog. I assume that almost any type of seizure possible in a human probably occurs in dogs as well, though.

• Removing Dog Drool From Upholstery

  Dog drool leaves stains on all sofa fabrics. Follow the directions below on how to remove dog drool from upholstery:

• Reducing Puppy Aggression Through Socalization

  Puppy aggression is a serious problem that can often be easily prevented. Once your puppy has shown aggression, it can take months or years to cure, but it can take only weeks to prevent.

• Reducing Dog Behavior Problems Through Proper Diet

  Providing your dog with a combination of fresh, clean water, unprocessed foods, and exercise will help his overall well-being. Along with that, you can reduce those tell-tale dog behavior problems with the following tips.

• Recognizing Canine Mental Problems

  The key to treating canine mental problems is recognizing the different types of canine problems, symptoms of each, and possible causes.

• Rapid Solutions to Stop Puppy Biting

  Puppy biting is extremely common because it's an instinct. Puppies use their mouths to learn about the world.

• Puppy Teething Explained

  Puppy teething occurs at the age of 3 to 4 weeks, and again at 4 to 5 months, when the baby teeth are exchanged for permanent teeth. Teething can be a painful condition for your pet, so you need to offer him chew toys and treats to stimulate the eruption of the teeth and reduce the discomfort and the pain.

• Puppy Stuff

  Sometimes puppies do seem to cause pharyngeal inflammation by chewing on stuff. Most puppies have a pretty good idea about what is expected of them after a week or two of training to urinate and defecate outside. Some puppies can not control urination when they are very excited.

• Puppy Development Stages

  By understanding the puppy development stages, obedience training is most effective. Many pet owners expect training to take little time. It is unrealistic to expect a puppy to be fully trained before they are developmentally ready.

• Puppy Behavior Problems

  Puppy behavior is not sweet and obedient at all times. Aggressive puppy behavior can manifest in the puppy biting or growling. Puppy housebreaking and behavioral problems can be dealt with in many positive ways.

• Prozac and Your Dog

  At the present time the majority opinion seems to be that there are no well defined side effects from fluoxetine (Prozac Rx) in dogs. However, it is important to consider that the types of side effects seen in people would be really hard for a dog to communicate about--

• Products for Calming a Nervous Dog

  If you find that you have a nervous dog, chances are good that there are external factors affecting his temperament. Nervousness in dogs should be addressed promptly, as anxious dogs are more likely to be destructive or aggressive over minor issues.

• Photo Gallery Index

  An index of the VetInfo.com Photo Gallery pages; Pet Photo Archives

• Phenylpropanolamine and Your Dog

  There is a veterinary phenylpropanolamine product available called Proin (Rx), for the treatment of incontinence in dogs. This is not a new drug but was previously a human drug now removed from the market . The side effects phenylpropanolamine like high blood pressure problems reported in humans that caused the human product recall have not been shown to occur in pets. Phenylpropanolamine has been used for many years to successfully treat incontinence in dogs.

• Options for Treating a Clinically Depressed Dog

  If your dog shows changes in his behavior, sleeps more, becomes less active and sometimes refuses to eat, he might be suffering from depression. Treating a clinically depressed dog is possible and your pet can turn into the friendly and active pet you used to know.

• Nail Trim Aversion

  There is usually no major problem associated with removing the dewclaws but must be done with general anesthetic since the dewclaws are a well developed toe in most adults.

• Medications for Dog Depression Treatment

  Dog depression may be caused by an event, physical illness or chemical imbalance. The depression may be temporary or last for an extended period of time...

• Medication - Amitriptyline (Elavil Rx)

  The most common side effect of amitriptylline (Elavil Rx) is sedation. Some dogs also experience "dry mouth" effects from a decrease in salivation and sometimes increase their drinking, which may be an effort to combat this effect. Low blood pressure (hypotension) is possible when using amitriptylline, as well.

• Medication - Acepromazine

  Acepromazine is one of the most commonly used tranquilizers in veterinary medicine. It is a phenothiazine compound. Its mode of action is only partially understood but it involves blockage of dopamine nerve receptors in the brain.

• Medical Causes of Canine Anxiety

  There are many reasons why your dog may present signs of canine anxiety like compulsive behavior, pacing or destructive behavior.

• Medical Causes of Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

  Aggressive behavior in dogs can be traced to many causes. Frightened or frustrated dogs and dogs in significant pain can all exhibit aggressive tendencies.

• Managing Dog Anxiety Caused by Noise

  Dog anxiety caused by noise can lead to panic attacks and unusual behavior. Noise anxiety can be triggered by powerful thunder, fireworks, ambulance sirens or a loud TV.

• Managing and Minimizing Puppy Separation Anxiety

  Puppy separation anxiety can be a severe problem that worsens with age. In order to prevent this devastating behavior problem, begin to teach your dog independence early in life.

• Managing a Mean Dog through Behavior Modification

  A mean dog is really a dog who is having a problem with his behavior. It's not his personality that is mean.

• Licking Behavior

  Lots of dogs lick floors, walls, concrete, metal, etc. There are a lot of things that might cause these problems in a particular patient, though. Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease), hypoadrenocorticism, liver failure, obsessive-compulsive disorders, seizures, hydrocephalus and other neurologic disease and probably a number of other conditions have occasionally been linked with this behavior.

• Lameness in Dogs

  In a dog this young it is best to confirm arthritis, especially when it is not responsive to medications. I strongly suspect a cruciate ligament injury or possibly even a luxating patella based on your description of the lameness but those things can only be confirmed on examination.

• Is Your Depressed Dog Actually a Sick Dog?

  A depressed dog may be down because of lifestyle changes or a loss of a loved one, but many illnesses also cause depression-like symptoms. If your dog is showing signs of depression, consult a veterinarian for a full medical exam.

• Is Debarking Surgery Effective for Stopping Dog Barking?

  Pet owners often consider debarking surgery as an effective means to stopping dog barking. Often debarking surgery is a last resort measure to quiet the bark of dogs with loud barks. It is also a procedure that causes a dog some pain while he recovers.

• Is a No Bark Dog Collar Safe for Small Dogs?

  No bark dog collars deliver a shock to your dog each time he barks. According to manufacturer web site, these collars fit dogs as small as two pounds, which encompasses almost every dog.

• Interpreting A Dog Behavior Change: Canine Stress Indicators

  Recognizing and understanding a change in dog behavior can help avoid a stressful situation. While the following behaviors are typical of a stressed dog, they must be looked at in context to know whether they're stress-related or caused by some other stimulus.

• Identifying Separation Anxiety in Dogs

  Many cases of separation anxiety in dogs go untreated. Sadly, pet owners become frustrated with their pet and release them to a shelter, find a new home or keep them kenneled for long hours because of the dog's destructive behavior.

• Humane Ways to Control Dog Barking Problems

  The most well-known methods of controlling dog barking problems employ punishment. However, excessive barking is usually caused by anxiety, which is only made worse by punishment.

• How to Stop Puppy Barking

  A concern for many owners is puppy barking. Barking and vocalizing is a natural form of communication for puppies.

• How to Stop Dog Wound Licking

  Looking after a dog wound can be problematic, because dogs tend to lick their wounds to relieve pain and remove any irritants.

• How to Stop Dog Whining

  Dogs continue to engage in behaviors that are rewarding to them, so to stop dog whining, you must find a way to make the behavior unrewarding. There's more than one way to do this, and which will work depends on your dog.

• How to Stop Dog Pulling: Leash Control Techniques

  It's important to learn leash control techniques to prevent your dog from pulling on his leash and collar. If your dog pulls too hard, he can possibly harm his throat.

• How to Stop Dog Digging Caused by Separation Anxiety

  Owners wonder how to stop dog digging caused by separation anxiety. To do so, you have to treat the separation anxiety first.

• How to Stop Dog Aggression

  There are many reasons for dog aggression, some of them are physiological and can be based in genetics or caused by underlying health issues. Most aggressive behavior in dogs is created by the environment that they live in.

• How to Speak Dog: A Guide to Dog Language

  Anyone who spends a lot of time with dogs should understand dog language. Dogs don't communicate with words, just body language.

• How to Keep a Dog Calm

  If you would like to know how to keep your dog calm, you can follow a few tips that will help soothe him. An agitated dog may be bothersome for you, your family and neighbors.

• How to Avoid Reinforcing Bad Dog Behavior

  It’s easy and very common to unintentionally reinforce bad dog behavior. Reinforcing behavior means doing anything thatincreases that behavior by encouraging the dog to do it again.

• How Effective Is Dog Whispering for Controlling Canine Behavior Problems?

  Dog whispering is an alternative type of canine training. According to this technique, the trainer, also known as a dog whisperer will communicate with the dogs and train them or correct their behavior, so that they have an acceptable behavior.

• How Effective Are Online Dog Training Courses?

  Dog training can be challenging and so can online dog training. It's important to know what you're getting into, and to manage your expectations.

• How Does Dog Separation Anxiety Medication Help?

  Sometimes a dog has separation anxiety so severe that training goes nowhere without the use of medication. The anxiety level of some of these dogs is so high that it can literally make them feel sick-causing vomiting and diarrhea.

• How Does Dog Separation Anxiety Develop?

  Dog separation anxiety occurs when your dog overrreacts to being left alone. It causes your dog to misbehave when you leave.

• Housebreaking and Changes in Trained Behavior

  It is very hard in many cases to control urine marking behaviors in dogs and I do not know of a consistently effective way to do this. It is important to remember that there are medical causes for some urinary problems and to be sure that you have eliminated kidney disease, diseases that make dogs produce more urine, such as diabetes and Cushing's disease, bladder infection, bladder stones and anatomical defects.

• Hiring a Dog Behavior Specialist to Control Aggression

  When your efforts to correct your dog's aggressive behavior haven't worked, consider a dog behavior specialist. Your dog should first be examined for any underlying health issues that could be causing the behavior, notably arthritis or other pain sources.

• Handling Dogs With Sleeping Problems

  The most common dogs sleeping problems include insomnia or dog snoring. In any of these cases, the problem may indicate a health issue that needs to be handled.

• Grief in Dogs

  I think that dogs experience grief, personally, but some behaviorists view this problem as more of an anxiety problem associated with loss of social structure. Since that seemed somewhat reasonable, we have tried anti-anxiety medications, both diazepam (Valium Rx) and buspirone (Buspar Rx).

• Getting Your Dog to Stop Sleeping In Your Bed

  Many problems can result from your dog sleeping in your bed. If you haven't allowed this, it's best not to start; once you start allowing your dog to sleep in the bed with you, the habit will be a hard one to break.

• Frequently Asked Canine Behavior Questions

  Finding answers to common canine behavior problems is an important step in dog training. Often, a misunderstanding of canine behavior causes owners to inadvertently contribute to the problem.

• Five Ways to Stop Excessive Barking

  Dog owners may encounter the problem of excessive barking at some point during their dog's lifetime. Though this behavioral issue can be a symptom of a health or mental problem, excessive barking is usually caused by something in the dog's living environment.

• Five Ways to Calm a Growling Dog

  Dealing with a growling dog can be scary, especially if you don't know him. Growling is a warning signal that a dog is unhappy and might bite if you don't diffuse the situation.

• Female Dogs Problems

  Some dogs have very subtle signs of estrus, or the so-called "silent heat" in which the dog goes into estrus but doesn't show signs of it. This is a variation that is considered to be normal. Male dogs are sometimes really good at detecting estrus periods that are not outwardly apparent, so paying attention to the male's behavior can be helpful.

• Features of Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent Products

  If your dog has been displaying issues of behavioral problems, such as excessive barking, chances are you have considered purchasing an ultrasonic bark control collar. A pet safe ultrasonic bark control collar, also known as a bark deterrent, may be able to help solve your problem.

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