How To Have A Happy Dog

Your new puppy will probably be on his very best behavior at first, and as a new owner you will be so anxious to make him happy that you may be accepting more or less anything he chooses to do. However, once this initial honeymoon period is over, you may uncover a few problems. Generally speaking, these are not difficult to put right and your puppy will be happier for it.

Guarding Food

Although it may be cute if your puppy growls and puts his hackles up when you approach his food bowl, it definitely won’t be if he ’s still doing this as an adult and you are too afraid to go near him. Some owners are too scared even to be in the same room as their dog while he’s eating.

If your puppy exhibits this kind of behavior, take the following steps:

• Put a small amount of food in his dish. If you use biscuits and wet food, put the biscuits in first.
• When he is eating, approach him and spoon a little wet food on top.
• Keep repeating this until the meal is finished.

Your puppy should soon get the message that you approaching the dish means more food going into it, and that you are not intending to steal his meal!

Jumping Up

This often occurs because puppies are so little that people can’t be bothered to bend down and greet them. Instead, they encourage the puppy to stand on his back legs and jump up towards them. It’s then not fair to punish him for this as he grows bigger, but you will need to retrain him.

Ask your family and friends to ignore the puppy until he is calm and not jumping up. Train him by putting him on a lead and asking someone he knows and likes to approach you. Have a treat in your hand and when the puppy jumps up ask your helper to stand still. Put the puppy in a sit and give him the treat. Ask your assistant to approach again - only give the puppy a treat when he is sitting calmly and allowing the helper to greet him. Repeat this with everyone you meet until it becomes second nature to your pet.

Chasing and Biting

Young children are naturally loud, fun and love to play - pretty much like your puppy! However, you shouldn’t encourage your puppy to play chasing games with them: instead give them some different training games to play, such as retrieving or hunting for a toy. Never allow play-biting - if this occurs, tell your child to stop the game immediately. Your puppy will soon get the message that biting ends the play session.

Barking

Barking is often triggered by the doorbell or knocker, so try to accustom your puppy to hearing this right from the start. Go outside, ring the bell and walk in, but ignore the puppy until he is quiet. Ask friends and family members to do the same. You can also ask someone a key to ring the bell and then wait for a couple of minutes before they come in. In the meantime, give the puppy a chew or treat on his bed. This will teach him to associate the doorbell with going to his bed for a reward.

RESEARCH

Studies show that more dogs than ever are classed as overweight. Some of this is attributed to their owners feeding too much of the wrong kind of food; in addition, an increase in demands on owners’ time makes it more difficult for them to exercise their dogs adequately. A combination of exercise and altered eating habits (not one or other on its own) is the most effective way to achieve and maintain weight loss.

If you take your dog for an annual check-up, his weight will be assessed and your vet can tell you if he is piling on the pounds. This is definitely not a happy situation, but thankfully it can be remedied.

Doggy Diet Tips

Many veterinary surgeries run weight-management clinics for pets, but if you prefer to work alone there are few dieting guidelines you should try to follow:

1. Avoid giving food treats as rewards, as these can soon build up extra calories. Use verbal praise, toys and play instead.
2. Give him more exercise. Relying on food deprivation will make your dog very unhappy.
3. Look for food that is high in fibre and low in fat. Your vet can prescribe canine diet food if necessary.
4. Be realistic about how much weight you expect your dog to lose. As with humans, a slow, steady weight loss is better than a rapid one.
5. Don’t try fad dog diets. They are nutritionally unbalanced and will deprive your pet of the essential vitamins and minerals he needs for optimal health.
6. Don’t forget that your dog may slow down and exercise less as he grows older, so you will need to make adjustments to his calorie intake.

Is He Fat?

A healthy canine body should look as if it is in proportion. You should be able to feel your dog’s ribs and not see visible folds of fat. If he is too fat, you will not be able to see his waist and his tail will look and feel thick.

Happy Dog TipNever lose your temper with your puppy or punish him physically. Ask your vet for advice on any behavior you are worried about, rather than allow bad habits to become established problems that will inevitably take longer for you to remedy.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 10th, 2007 at 6:29 am and is filed under Dog Behavior Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.