Puppy Socialisation

crate training

Benefits Of Crate Training Puppies

Crate training is not a novel concept in dogdom yet it is a highly important, underestimated, underutilised and fundamental education system for a long-term and short-term practical benefit for pet owners and their dogs. Many dogs suffer from claustrophobia due to their inexperience with confinement. Any dog that cannot tolerate being caged is a nightmare …

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relaxing with your dog

Much Ado About Nothing

From the experiences and perspectives of reputable canine obedience instructors, animal behaviourists and veterinary ethologists one of the most difficult messages to communicate to dog owners as a basic rule of human-canine interaction is to do nothing! The inherent inability for people to learn to do nothing is a clear indication that most humans do …

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Does your dog come to you when it is called

Dogs That Jump Up At People

Any dog that jumps up at people is regarded as having bad manners, is a downright irritation and has never been recognized by its owner as a public nuisance. In most cases the individual dog has the inherent propensity to jump which is then reinforced by the human attention, whether it is encouragement or rejection, …

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bite inhibition

Bite Inhibition

Bite inhibition is a very modern term, used initially in veterinary behaviour circles, for a learnt or inherent ability in a pup to bite an opponent without inflicting damage. The opponent may be another animal or a human. It is natural, normal and necessary for dogs to bite, even from the time their teeth erupt. …

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life skills for dogs

Teaching Pets Life Skills

Puppy socialization classes has been in the media and on the lips of everyone involved in canine activities for over two decades. While those pet owners who fail to socialize, let alone train, their dogs live their lives expounding excuses for their animals’ unruly, unpredictable and unsociable behaviour – and they will, out of sheer …

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hierarchy of dogs

The hierarchy system of dogs

Dogs live in a linear hierarchy system similar to army rankings or the human caste system of certain cultures. Dogs are, instinctively, not adapted to the democratic approach meted out by most pet owners. Doting animal lovers feel that all their dogs should be treated equally because “shame” why pat the one and not the …

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sounds sensitive

Sounds sensitive hounds

Sound sensitivity is one of the most alarming phobias experienced by dogs and their owners. How far back in the modern human-animal relationship this goes, no one knows. Although dogs have an incredible hearing ability involving pitch and distance it is disconcerting that they develop life-threatening panic disorders from certain sounds. It is unexpected and …

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