Meet Buca
Posted on September 6, 2007
Filed Under Success Stories | 1 Comment
When Donna found “Czar,” she knew she was probably his last hope. He had been neglected, and she knew about his “unpredictable behavior.” Such animals are not exactly a hot commodity, and it takes an extremely committed person to take on such a task. Donna gave him a new home, a new life, and a new name, “Buca.” At first he seemed to adjust to his new home very well, but after a couple of weeks his aggressive tendencies made a comeback. He nipped the hand of a human neighbor, and the noses of several local dogs. Buca’s bites were severe enough to draw blood, but luckily no one was badly injured. Still, this was a very dangerous situation. Donna read everything she could about how to deal with aggressive dogs. She quickly found many different, often contradictory approaches to this one serious problem! Then, as if she didn’t have enough hardship, Donna broke her leg, having to rely on her neighbors Holly, Joe, Jeff, and me to help with Buca.
This is when things began to change. Simply separating Buca from “his person” seemed to shift his attitude immediately. It’s something we see all the time. Dogs play very specific roles within their pack. In this case, the pack consisted of one terribly nervous and frustrated human, and one dog who moved into the position of protector.
Christine’s approach to training
Posted on September 6, 2007
Filed Under Training Tips, Petcasts | 4 Comments
Don’t worry so much about how to be “alpha.” It’s not necessarily a no-no to view your pooch as your child. In fact, it can be a wonderful way to train! You just have to remember that if your dog is your child, that means you need to be the parent. That means you need to be responsible, and set the rules of the house. What our dogs need from us is really no different from what our human children need- to be able to count on us. They need love, guidance, and the security of knowing what to expect and what is expected. If your dog doesn’t know what the heck you’re talking about, you and other family members may be confusing her with inconsistency. In this podcast, we talk about what it means to be a great puppy parent.
Getting your dog to stop jumping
Posted on September 5, 2007
Filed Under Training Tips, Petcasts | 2 Comments
One the most common and annoying doggie habits has to be jumping up on nearby humans! It’s natural for dogs to want to greet us face to face, especially since we’ve taught them to do this by nuzzling them nose to nose when they were puppies. Problem is, when your pooch is grown, he wields powerful (often muddy) paws which can be quite a nuisance to your guests, and downright dangerous to small children and elderly people.
Maybe you’ve been reacting by hollering or pushing your pooch down…but he’s still doing it isn’t he? This is because jumping is an attention-seeking behavior. And as long as it gets your attention, good or bad, it’s not going to stop anytime soon. In this podcast you’ll learn how to get your dog’s jumping under control once and for all.
-
Dog of the Month
<
This is Jasper, a re-homed and rehabbed Rottie!
