Leash aggression is an extremely common behavior issue faced by many dog-loving owners. You start on the blissful journey of puppy parenthood, envisioning a future of leisurely strolling with your dog: cup of coffee and newspaper in hand, ready to settle in on a park bench, street café, or just around the neighborhood. Then reality sets in. Lovable Fido often resembles Cujo while on leash. I feel for owners ...

It's news to most humans that the way we act with each other when we're feeling most affectionate--hugging and staring into each other's eyes, to give a couple of examples--doesn't translate well to dogs. In fact, it can be perceived as downright aggressive. Even patting a dog on the head can be taken the wrong way. Oh sure, they put up with us. That tolerance is partly why we care for them so much. But wou ...

The term gets tossed around casually, but separation anxiety is a very serious matter. True separation anxiety is your dog's panicked response to being left alone. The results--including the destruction of your belongings and the deterioration of your dog's mental and physical health--can be devastating. Separation anxiety is very different from misbehavior. It's a misconception that when your dog digs up y ...

There's a short developmental window in every dog's life when he's extremely sensitive to his environment. The number of positive encounters he has with other people and dogs during this period, which ranges from just a few weeks old to three or four months of age, can dramatically influence how friendly he is as an adult. So if you're getting a puppy, look for one who's been raised around people. Once you ...

There's a short period in every puppy's development, from very early puppyhood to three or four months of age, when his experiences have a big effect on his entire approach to life. If he has lots of positive encounters with other dogs during that developmental window, he's far more likely to grow up to be dog-friendly. If he doesn't, he can become fearful and aggressive. An adult dog's personality is far l ...

Is chewing a destructive behavior? Here's the simplest answer: Only if he's chewing on the wrong thing. So give him something that's okay to chew. Puppy chewing is an important part of the teething process. As adults, dogs often chew for fun, or to relieve boredom. Chewing or tearing things up (like paper) can also be a displacement behavior, a way to release pent-up energy or stress. Redirecting destructiv ...

There may be no surer way to stir up a group of dog trainers than to bring up dominance training. Some see value in forcefully letting your dog know who's boss, by pinning him on his back, among other tactics. Others believe the process can be ineffective, and even downright harmful. Regularly scare or physically force your dog into submission and you may well end up with one who's timid or frustrated. What ...

For humans, Independence Day generally means fun... or at least a barbeque and time off from work. But thanks to fireworks, the Fourth of July can be the scariest night of the year for dogs. The sudden, deafening sounds (what's loud to us is ear-piercing to them) and bursts of light in the sky can elicit serious anxiety, if not downright terror. So to avoid sending your pets trembling with fear, hiding in r ...

Dogs need to dig. There are a dozen good canine reasons for digging: digging warming pits and cooling hollows, excavating feline feces, grubs, roots and rodents, digging to escape, digging out of boredom, digging for fun, and of course, the quintessential canine bona fide reason - burying bones and then, digging them up again. Also please bear in mind, many dogs dig from boredom of their solitary confinemen ...

When dogs fail to come when called their behavior falls into one of two categories: active or passive disobedience. With passive disobedience, the dog doesn't come and it isn't doing much else besides. Instead it simply stands, sits or lies down and watches its owner call. Either the dog is apprehensive of approaching (a major temperament emergency), or it fails to see the relevance of the owner's request a ...