Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Behavior Problems: Dogs That Lick Too Much

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The first licking experienced by a puppy comes from its dam even before the pup’s eyes are open. Licking is used to groom the pup and, after feeding, to cause urination and defecation. It is doubtful that a young pup consciously considers licking a dominant behavior. However, the act of licking can acquire various other meanings to puppies as they mature and gain feedback from other animals (including people) they lick. Licking by neonatal pups is usually aimed at the dam’s mouth and, at least in wild canines, elicits a gratifying regurgitation of food by the dam for its offspring.

Licking another animal can broadly be classified as care-seeking behavior. However, in some females and apparently “feminized” males, licking may occur as a genuine mutual grooming gesture, which could be considered dominant behavior in such situations. When one dog tries to lick the genitals of another, the behavior is considered submissive. This is usually practiced by submissive pack members toward their dominant counterparts.

Licking seems to acquire different meanings when the puppy is brought into the human group. The significance of licking then depends on the type of feedback provided by the pup or its owners. The old idea that dogs lick our hands to benefit from the salt on our skin rarely applies to licking problems. Rather, the problem generally involves a submissive dog and a permissive owner. In these cases, early episodes of licking are permitted (some people feel genuinely flattered when their dog licks them) and the dog appears to enjoy the owner’s response.

In many cases, licking is a factor in another type of problem behavior. These usually involve the dog’s use of licking to dominate the owner’s attentions or to demonstrate its dominant feelings relative to the owner.

How Can Licking Be Prevented?

Licking is a problem only when the owner is present. Therefore licking is usually easily stopped merely by telling the dog not to do it or by moving away and avoiding it. After a few days or weeks of this rejection, the problem disappears. However, this procedure does not correct the basis of the problem, that is, attempts to dominate the owner.

In addition to discouraging licking, the dog must be taught to respond to commands, and owner adjustments made if the dog is “coddled” or otherwise doted on. When it seeks petting or tries to dominate the owner, it should be given a simple command, such as Sit, and then petted briefly as a reward for obedience.

It is recommended that you use some intervening stimulus when the dog begins to pester you. Whether this involves introduction of a chewable toy that the pet is urged to fetch, or a sharp sound, the goal is to divert the animal’s mind off licking and onto something else. During the initial stages of correction, there may be seen many types of substitute behavior, such as whining, pacing or self-licking. If ignored, this behavior usually disappears in a few days.

How The Weather Affects Housebreaking Your Puppy

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Be aware of the weather when taking your puppy to the potty area. If you get a puppy in winter, remember that it will be a little harder on you and your puppy. Dress warmly so you don’t lose your patience if the puppy takes longer to relieve herself.

If you bring your puppy in too soon because you are getting cold and uncomfortable, she may urinate once you bring her into the warmth of your house.

In winter, it is also advisable for owners to put a wind-proof, doggie jacket on their puppies. This way they can stay warm and not have an aversion to being outdoors.

In the fall and spring, the earth is moist and the ground rich with odors. Your puppy will be distracted by the rich scents and she may take longer to relieve herself.

Rainy weather is also a challenge for pups. The rain may alarm them at first and distract them from the familiar scent in their potty area. Snow has the same affect. Be patient under these conditions.

Dog Breeding & Your New Puppies’ Temperament

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Your puppies’ temperaments are affected by their genetic predisposition toward certain character traits and their environment. The greatest factor influencing your puppies’ behavior is initially through their dam, her relationship with you and generalized perception of her environment. Her perception and acceptance of outside stimuli such as, for example, strangers who come to view the litter can set an indelible example for her offspring.

Therefore, no female dog should be bred who has an unsound temperament. If the temperament is the oven product of abuse, and the female exhibits exceptional redeemable qualities given an optimum supportive environment, breeding is a possibility. The attitude of the dam will always be reflected at least to some degree in every puppy.

The environment in which a litter is reared, therefore, is of paramount importance to having well socialized and confident puppies. As a result, it behooves anyone who engages in a breeding program, whether for a single litter or a long-term endeavor encompassing multiple years and litters, to breed only those dogs that most closely meet the breed Standard’s physical criteria, as well as those animals exhibiting the ideal temperament.

Introducing Training To The Young Labrador Retriever

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You can begin some elementary retrieving exercises at eight weeks or so, and your Labrador Retriever will most likely love the game and look forward to it each day. To teach the basic mechanics of the fetch (run out, pick up the object, return the object to the master, and release), begin by placing the puppy on a 10-foot lead.

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Take a favorite toy or a ball large enough not to be swallowed, dangle it in front and above the dog’s head to gain its attention, and toss it 5 to 6 feet in front of you. Precede your command with your dog’s name. For example, say, “Jake, fetch!” As he races for the toy, follow behind your Labrador Retriever.

Make sure the lead stays loose and does not snap shut and frighten or hurt him (and perhaps permanently sour him on retrieving).

If he picks up the toy, praise him encouragingly. Should he merely eye or paw the toy, make him pick it up by shaking it in front of him, repeating “Jake, fetch!” Once he has grasped the toy, walk backwards to your beginning spot. Coax him to follow you by motioning him toward you using your hands and fingers.

When he arrives back, get the toy from his mouth by commanding “Out!” and gently pulling it loose. Now is the time to give him a lot of praise and affection – not during the exercise, although encouragement can be helpful.

At such a young age, the emphasis in this and all types of exercise is on fun, not on performance. Improvement in response should naturally come with familiarity. As the puppy masters the game, vary it. Keep your Labrador Retriever guessing.

Try to remain in position and not move out toward the toy. Later, you can attach a longer lead and extend the distance of your throw, or throw the toy sideways. Any Labrador retriever worth its name will take easily and eagerly to this game.

It is recommended that you play with the Labrador Retriever puppy often and consciously make an effort to get down to its level. Standing upright, humans can be quite an imposing sight for a puppy. Sitting or lying on the floor, they are no longer towers but friendly companions. Giving a puppy some eye-to-eye attention will go a long way in cementing the human-dog bond.

Because a Labrador retriever make good swimmers as adults, some misinformed people think this gives them the liberty to dunk young puppies into any available pool of water. A Labrador Retriever is a natural swimmer, but the dog needs to learn the fundamentals before being expected to feel at ease in the water.

When a Labrador Retriever puppy’s first exposure to the water is being thrown or forced in, the shock may make it dislike and fear the water throughout life. Many potential field dogs have been ruined by improper or overzealous training.

The first introduction to the water can begin while a puppy is quite young (three months is a good age). A puppy should be able to master the mechanics very quickly, especially if “shown
the ropes” by some older dogs. The owner should always be nearby, should trouble arise. It often helps the dog feel at ease if the owner wades into the water with it on the first dip.

Ponds or lakes, with their easy entries, are best for training water dogs. The slick tiles and steep sides of a pool are often unmanageable for the dog, and many drownings have occurred when an exhausted dog was unable to climb out of the water. Similarly, a young Labrador Retriever puppy is not strong enough to manage a rough ocean surf, but should be encouraged to play along the shoreline in a sheltered area of shallow water.

Establishing A Positive Behavioral Training For Your Dalmatian

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The key to having a good relationship with a Dalmatian, whether he is a member of the family as an older dog or comes as a puppy from a litter, is in the amount of attention and affection with which you establish boundaries of behavior. They are eagerly responsive to attention, games, praise and positive training.  However, they have a sharp memory for negative or harshly corrective actions. They will respond much more readily to rewards for approximating desired behavior than being forced into the position or posture you wish them to assume.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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The difference between holding out a reward until they sit versus pushing down on their hindquarters while pulling up on their lead and commanding them to “sit!” lies in two critical areas.  They will more readily and consistently respond to a “sit” command taught through play learning, and they will not start calculating how they can avoid you or avoid sitting, or get back at you for the “pushy” approach.  No dog is happily responsive to abusive training practices, but the Dalmatian has a peculiarly sharp memory for affronts.  If they have had a bad experience learning how to sit, they are almost certain to resist other obedience lessons which take on the same manipulative tone.

Many people think that a Dalmatian has nervous temperaments, excessive energy and are hyper. This generalization is unfair to the breed, because good temperament has been a specific focus of breeders for the last twenty years. There is little question that in any planned breeding program, you can select for bad temperament just as you can select for good temperament.  Parentage, pedigrees and the variety of genetic possibilities force breeders to contend with that possibility.  It is one of the conscious considerations in every breeding decision.

There is no question that a Dalmatian get excited when someone comes on the property or to the door. They want to be the first one there to check out the visitor.  Proper training will take care of any barking or control problems in this area, but guests who are greeted in this manner, especially those who have heard that Dalmatians are “hyper,” could easily confirm what they have heard by the excitement they first see.  Hopefully, they will stay long enough to see the excited greeting followed by the normal pattern, which usually includes acceptance followed by settling back down for a snooze under the table.

If Dalmatian puppies have been raised in a calm environment with their mother; if they have been touched, petted and handled regularly by the breeder; if they have been properly vaccinated and wormed; if they have been weaned to a good quality puppy food; if they were taken from their litter by their new owner no earlier than seven weeks of age; and if they were introduced to their new home life with kindness and thoughtfulness, then chances are good that you will not see any behavior abnormalities in your Dalmatian.

The Current Poodle Breed Standard (Part 2)

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Neck, Topline, & Body: The ideal Poodle has a neck that is “well-proportioned, strong and long enough to permit the head to be carried high and with dignity.” The topline is “level, with the exception of a slight hollow just behind the shoulder.”

The shoulders should be strong and “smoothly muscled,” with the shoulder blade “well laid back and approximately the same length as the upper foreleg.” (Well-laid-back means about 45 degrees.) The forelegs should be straight and parallel when viewed from the front. When seen from the side, the elbow should be “directly below the highest point of the shoulder.”

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The feet are “rather small, oval in shape with toes well arched and cushioned on thick firm pads.” They should not turn in or out. The angle of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters. The hind legs should be “straight and parallel” when viewed from the rear.

The chest should be “deep and moderately wide with well-sprung ribs.” The loin is short, broad, and muscular. The tail is docked, “set on high and carried up.” A tail that is set low, curled, or carried over the back is a major fault.

Gait: The show ring gait (movement) of a Poodle should be “a straightforward trot with light springy action, and strong hindquarters drive.”

Coat: The coat can be “Curly of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout,” or “Corded: hanging in tight even cords of varying length, longer on mane or body coat, head, and ears; shorter on puffs, bracelets, and pompons.”

For showing, a Poodle must appear in one of the following traditional clips: a puppy clip, (for dogs under 12 months of age); the English saddle clip; the continental clip; or the sporting clip (for non-competitive classes like veterans or for stud classes).

Colors: Poodles may be of any solid color: apricot, black, blue, brown, cafe au lait, cream, gray, silver, or white, with black and white being the most common. Whatever the color, however, it must be solid. Any parti-colored Poodle, for instance a black dog with white paws or chest, is disqualified from the show ring-—although they make charming pets.

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