Using Aversives to Modify Your Dog’s Behavior

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.

Aversives are tools and techniques that can be used to keep dogs away from particular places or to stop them from engaging in certain behaviors. Finding the …

Understanding Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

A 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.

But from a dog’s perspective, there’s always a reason for aggressive behavior. …

Solving Barking Problems

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.”

Learn Why Your Dog Barks

If your dog’s “talkative nature” has created tension with your neighbors, then it’s a good idea to discuss the …

Reducing Urine-Marking Behavior in Dogs and Cats

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.

Some pets may go to the extreme of urinating or defecating to …

Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog

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 …

How to Stop Your Dog from Digging

I Dig because I can. It’s the motto of dogs everywhere, and completely normal behavior.

Yet the reasons behind the activity are varied. Your dog may dig to seek entertainment, attention, comfort, escape, prey, or protection. (Despite how you might feel sometimes, your dog won’t dig out of spite, revenge, or a desire to destroy your yard.) And just when you think you’ve outsmarted your pooch by finding ways to make the area where he digs unappealing, your dog will likely begin digging in other locations or display other unacceptable behavior, …