Bark
so furiously at the post man? This
is probably a mix of something called “prey drive” and your dog’s sense of
territory. When
the post man approaches your house, your dog instinctively barks to warn its
pack members (you) that someone is entering your territory.
He also barks to try and chase the carrier away (prey drive).
As soon as the mail is delivered, the carrier leaves, therefore your dog
believes that he has fulfilled his objective.
Allowing the carrier to meet your dog under your supervision may help.
Keep an eye on your dog when you expect the carrier to come.
Praise your dog for alerting you, but then tell it that that’s enough.
It’s not the dog’s duty to initiate the chase away.
You could also offer the carrier treats to give to your dog.
One way to satisfy your dog’s prey drive would be to sign up for a
course such as flyball. Your
dog is being a dog.
A dog is actually showing submission by trying to reach your face to lick
it, however their nails or their sheer size can make this a very uncomfortable
for you. The
best thing to do is to command your dog to sit or lay down when you greet him.
Once he does that, then lavish a lot of affection on him.
Or, if it’s convenient, ignore your dog until he calms down, then
command him into a position and give him his affection.
Not everyone likes dogs licking their face, however a controlled
“kiss” may be better than a kiss and run. This
is very common in puppies.
Urination is one of the most extreme forms of submission, which is a
dog’s way of showing that he means no harm.
Many puppies follow this routine until they mature a bit. Another cause
is sheer excitement.
Many puppies simply cannot “hold it” when they are excited.
This too is due to physical and mental immaturity.
Fortunately most pups grow out of it.
The best thing to do is to keep everything as quiet as possible when you
arrive home, or in situations where the pup may be excited.
Don’t scold the puppy, he is only doing what comes naturally and it
simply cannot help it.
As well keep a lot of deodorizer and paper towels on hand. This
is known as separation anxiety.
Most breeds suffer from this, some breeds more than others.
Dogs and wolves are very social animals who thrive on attention of their
pack members. When
they are isolated, they become very worried.
Destroying things is a way to ease the anxiety.
Chewing especially can be very calming to a dog.
To save your home it may be best to crate or confine your dog.
In many cases this is the safer route for your dog.
Give the dog a couple of its favorite toys that have been rubbed in your
hands, as your scent will help him relax. As
well, start training your dog by doing practice leaves from home.
Leave for ten minutes and return with a normal routine.
Do the same for progressively longer lengths of time and do so for quite
some time, just to let your dog
know that the world doesn’t come to an end with your closing the door
behind you. Exercise
will help to relieve their stress too.
Do not scold your dog for making a mess, as it will only confuse
him—they cannot associate past crimes with the present. Wolves
in the wild establish territory.
The most prosperous pack gets the territory with more prey and better
facilities. The
way they alert other packs that this is theirs, is by “marking their
territory.” Basically,
they do this by urinating on key items.
When you walk your dog, he is alerting other dogs he is doing the same
thing. He
has to sniff every post to try and learn what sort of dogs have been there and
then feels obligated to leave his message behind.
Urine is coded with all sorts of messages to a dog such as the Run
behind me when we meet other dogs...? Your
dog is most likely frightened of
other dogs.
This is very common in younger dogs, especially on their first few times
out and your dog is looking to you for protection.
It is very important to socialize your dog with other dogs.
If your dog is frightened, do not push him towards the source of his
fear, but help him combat his fear by walking up to the other dog and greeting
it nonchalantly.
Encourage your dog to do the same thing.
Do not make him feel trapped or forced, as this can result in some fear
aggression. Most
dogs will come around to the source of the fear if you work on it enough. Nip
at my heels...? If
your dog is a puppy, this is very common.
All puppies’ love to play and nipping at ones heels is one of the
doggie ways to initiate playtime.
Don’t give in though.
You are top dog and you have to initiate playtime.
Tell your pup a stern “no” and
give him/her an alternative thing to play with.
Make sure your pup gets enough exercise as well.
Although do not overdo it.
Always remember to give your dog an alternative thought. Dogs
sniff to identify each other.
Dogs, humans, cats and many more creatures have scents that are exclusive
to them produced by the anal region.
Indeed this is embarrassing, but it is doggie etiquette.
Most of the time, you will find that it is the larger dogs that do this
just due to size and being able to reach these areas.
Let your pooch know that in human etiquette this is quite rude.
When he meets people have him sit or lay down.
Then ask the people that he is meeting to allow him to sniff their hand.
The sweat and oils produced there also carry an individual scent and this
should satisfy him.
Then proceed with the meeting and greeting. This
is instinct once again.
In the wild wolves have to hunt for dinner.
This includes being able to get within a decent distance of the prey.
But the prey that wolves like, have ultra sensitive noses and can detect
wolves from a great distance.
To improve their chances of not being detected, wolves often roll in
substances to disguise their scent.
If you have smelt your dog after a couple of years with no bath and
running in the wild all day long, you’ll know that it may take quite a bit to
cover up the scent.
So wolves often roll in decomposing organic material.
This ranges anywhere from leaves to dead animals.
Often there’s not many ways to modify instinct.
Although we have succeeded in making instincts work for us, we still have
to live with the sights, smells and habits of our canine companions call of the
wild.
Jump
up on me...?
Wet
on the floor when we come home...?
Destroy
things when I leave the house to run some errands...?
Mark
its territory on trees...?
Have
the embarrassing habit of sniffing people in all the wrong places when he meets
them...?
Roll
in dead or disgusting substances...?