Behavior Problems
Excessive barking is a common and frustrating problem. We would like our dogs to only bark appropriately. This article is about how to achieve that.
The Basics
How do dogs learn? How does dog training work? How can a dog learn the rules of your household?
Proper socialization is very important as it has a huge influence over what kind of personality a dog will have as an adult. Will a dog be aggressive or friendly, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?
There are three things your dog has to learn: where to go, where not to go and to hold it.
Dog Behavior
Your dog thinks you are a very strange dog. Your ears are barely visible, you don’t have a tail and when you smile (bare your front teeth) you are happy instead of threatening? In spite of this, your dog tries to communicate with you all the time and is very attentive to your body language, because that is the only language he “speaks.”
You have probably heard and read a great deal about pack leaders, alphas and how they are supposed to act and behave. Physical domination, alpha rollovers and getting in your dog’s face all were part of the old fashioned notion. But it's all a myth.
Fears and Phobias
Separation anxiety is a common problem. Whether you just adopted a dog from the animal shelter or brought home your brand spanking new puppy from the breeder, your new companion will have to learn to be left home alone.
Articles from other on-line sources
AVSAB Position Statement on Punishment
AVSAB's position is that punishment (e.g. choke chains, pinch collars, and electronic collars) should not be used as a first line or early-use treatment for behavior problems.
AVSAB Position Statement on Dominance
AVSAB is concerned with the recent re-emergence of dominance theory and forcing dogs and other animals into submission as a means of preventing and correcting behavior problems.
Aggression
Dogs and children can be best friends, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen automatically. Of the 4.7 million dog bites in the US each year, 70% of bites are on children, half of which are bites to the face.