#dog tip

My mom and sister's dog Winnie Bear is very dog reactive when she's on a lease. And we're positive it's because she's terrified of running into another dog when she's on a lease. She's great with Pixie, but any dog she sees on a lease she goes into full panic mode. It may not appear that way by her smile or waging tail, but underneath this front she doesn't know how to handle the situation of running into another dog. And she wasn't always good about Pixie either, they had to build up a lot of trust before Winnie was fine to be left alone with Pixie. So what do you do when your dog is terrified of other dogs? Especially when trying to take them for a walk.

Tip #1: Don't Punish the Dog

The first thing people often do when a dog is exhibiting aggressive behavior such as growling, lunging, or baring their teeth is they punish the dog. This is actually the opposite of what you're supposed to do. They are doing this behavior for a reason, it's their warning to other dogs to back off because they are uncomfortable.

Goals:

Keep your dog calm and focused on you throughout the walk so they don't have time to be looking around at all the things you may pass by.

Create positive associations with your dog's typical triggers. Go from being scared or anxious about the oncoming dog knowing what your dog will do. Be excited and positive about it. They'll read your body language and understand over time that it's something positive rather than something negative.

If at all possible, avoid situations that will put your dog over their comfort zone.

In order to do this though you need to know what your dog's triggers are and what motivates them. As you can use that motivation to distract them past the obstacles that trigger them. For instance, Winnie loves her stuffed pig so we bring that on walks with her or treats and use them as the distraction or motivation to walk past over dogs. Another thing we do is create distance between Winnie and other dogs. Even if it's a puppy that's half the size of her head, she's scared so we create distance so she's comfortable with the situation again.

It’s that time of year again when a lot of people have new dogs and puppies, so here are some friendly reminders of things you should and shouldn’t do concerning your dog, some of which could save their lives! Let’s get the annoying stuff out of the way first

Do Not: 

Over bathe your dog (only once every 3 or 4 weeks unless they have a skin condition)

Do not give them Rawhide chews of any kind

Or jerky treats

Or any Nylabone products

Or rope toys

Do not use doggy diapers for puppy potty training reasons

Do not use puppy pads for potty training reasons (unless the dog is going to go inside its whole life)

Do not scold them for things they did more than a couple minutes ago. They literally only have a 5 minute memory. They look guilty because they’re trying to appease you but they have no idea what they did wrong I promise so just don’t do it! 

Do not keep switching your dog’s food just because they “don’t like it!” If you’ve tried about 3 kinds\flavors over an appropriate amount of time, don’t keep pushing it, they will eat eventually. 

Do:

Trim their nails regularly

Brush their teeth regularly (even once every month or 2 will do)

Keep them up to date on their shots

Walk high energy dogs daily and dogs with lower energy several times a week

Buy cheaper food! Just GOOD cheaper food! (avoid brands like Beneful and Purina at all costs) Do your research.

Only teach your dog one word and one hand signal per command (if you say “off” “down” “stop” and “no” for one problem you are going to get nowhere)

Check them regularly for ticks, fleas, hot spots and other possible issues you wouldn’t just notice by glancing at them

Use flea and tick prevention all year long! 

DO research on breeds. Pls try adopting, but either way, avoid stubborn breeds if you’re a first time dog owner (*whispering* mutts often have less health problems anyway*)