Behaviour

Rescue Group (Inc) - Behaviour

.....because every dog deserves a place to call home!

A FREE E-Book "Adopting a Shelter Dog - The First Seven Days", a cool resource on adoption that might be helpful

You can also check the book out here at:

http://www.dogfencediy.com/rescue-dog/

Another interesting read here...

Toilet Training

NEVER EVER GROWL AT YOUR DOG OR PUPPY FOR WEEING OR POOING IN THE HOUSE !!
All this does is teach him or her to be afraid of relieving himself when you are nearby.

NEVER EVER RUB YOUR PUPPY'S NOSE IN IT IF HE HAS AN ACCIDENT INSIDE
Dogs are eternally fascinated by wee and poo. It is a communication tool - they can tell a lot about each other by smelling a wee spot. Dogs sniff it, lick at it, and some dogs eat it. Dogs love to roll in sheep and horse manure. Why would rubbing his nose in it be a bad thing? He won't understand why you are doing it - he knows it is his already, and he will just lick it off his nose!

Puppies

1 Pick an area in the house where your dog is allowed to "go" 2 Line this area with newspaper or store-bought puppy training pads 3 Puppies are like babies - they need to go when they wake up, or when they have had food or drink - place them on the newspaper at these times. Praise your puppy and have a game with a favourite toy when he has finished. 4 When the puppy understands what to do, gradually move the paper closer to the door, until it is outside. 5 WATCH your puppy! Always! If you cannot watch your puppy, leave him somewhere where it won't matter if he makes a mess. You will notice that right before he goes, he will walk in circles sniffing - looking for the right spot. When you see this happening, pick up your puppy right away and take him to the paper or outside - make sure to speak to him encouragingly so you don't scare him when you grab him, and make a big fuss of him when he goes.

Older Dogs

Older dogs have more control over their bodily functions, so you don't need to bother with newspaper. Go straight to step 5 - be consistent, and praise, praise, PRAISE when he gets it right.

Cleaning up the messes

A lot of cleaning products smell different to dogs than they do to us - to dogs, they give off a "wee here please!" signal. Stay away for the powerful cleaners and the bleach - stick to cold soapy water with a few drops of eucalyptus oil, or a store-bought dog deterrent.

A Last word on poo …

Remember, poo is a good thing to a dog - he doesn't understand that we find this stuff repulsive. Sometimes, when you come home to find your house-trained dog has left a smelly pile on your kitchen floor, or your bed, or your front step - he may have been trying to leave you a heartfelt gift. Say "oh oh", and clean it up without a fuss. Soon he will come to recognize "oh oh" as being something you say when you are not pleased.

How to Control your Dog's Barking

Almost all dogs will bark at some type of noise at one time or another - determining if it will become a problem barker or not depends on how you react to it. There are numerous theories on this behaviour including boredom, aggression, teasing from an external source and separation anxiety. Nearly all these behaviours can be cut off at the beginning if you start training them at an early age.
The majority of dogs bark at people passing in front of your house and if someone knocks at your door. This is not necessarily a bad behaviour and in most cases should be left alone.
If you feel your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, please talk to your trainer or seek advice from a behavioural trainer.
Most barking problems are due to boredom. This is easily dealt with. All you need to do is provide mental stimulation for your dog while you are gone. Talk to your trainer about appropriate environmental enrichment toys for your dog like treat balls and Home Alone toys.
Giving your dog a large bone or a Kong stuffed with food will keep your dog busy for several hours and he will come to look forward to your leaving for work, instead of dreading it. Dogs are pack animals - it is not natural for them to be left on their own, and most are not comfortable with it. Make sure your dog has somewhere warm and dry in winter, and a cool shady place to go in summer. Short-coated dogs will often cry or bark if they are cold. Leaving a radio on while you are out will help your dog to feel less alone - some dogs enjoy listening to talk programmes, many are soothed by classical music. If your dog is house trained, try leaving him inside for short periods of time when you go out. Many dogs that are distressed and agitated when left outside are happy to curl up and snooze all day inside where they feel safer.

What Should I Feed my Dog?

Dogs are NOT carnivores. Like us, they need some fruits and vegies to make up a balanced diet! That is part of the reason you may have noticed your dog eating grass… or why he likes to share a banana with you. The less processed foods in your dog's diet, the healthier he / she will be.

Raw meaty bones are very good for your dog, and will help to keep teeth clean, and breath fresh. The bones will provide your dog with most of the dietary minerals he needs. Bones keep your dog happy - dogs are made to search and hunt out their food - a dog who spends hours gnawing on his dinner will be a happy dog, and a quiet one. Gnawing and chewing also relaxes the dog, and makes him sleepy - so after he has finished his bone, he will be more likely to go to sleep for a while, rather than bark all day while you are at work.

Good bones to feed your dog include lamb off-cuts, chicken carcasses, chicken wings, and marrowbones. If you know a farmer, whole rabbits are a wonderful food source! The egg farm out near the Spud Shed sells frozen "steaming fowls" - they are cheap and very good for your dog.

The only bones that are dangerous to feed your dogs are COOKED bones. When a dog chews a cooked bone, it splinters instead of breaks, and these splinters are very dangerous to your dog's insides. Dog's need the natural enzymes present in raw bones to help digest them - these are lost when a bone is cooked. It is not a good idea to feed chicken necks to any dogs unless they are very small - many dogs like to try to swallow them whole, and they can get stuck.

To learn more about how raw meaty bones, fruits and vegies are good for your dog, read "Give Your Dog a Bone" by Australian vet Dr Ian Billinghurst, or any of his other books. You can also visit his web site www.drianbillinghurst.com

If you prefer to feed your dog a commercial diet, there a few things to consider:

Food colourings upset a lot of tummies - it is wise to avoid the coloured varieties of dry food Commercial foods have a high cereal content, much of which the dog does not digest - the more cereals and grains in the food, the bigger the piles of poo on your lawn. Try to select a food that has meat at the top of the list of ingredients - this means that it has more meat products than grains. Tinned food is around 70% water.

Training Treats

To provide a training reward for your dog, it is best to give him something he really loves. Some dogs aren't food motivated, so you may like to use a favourite toy as a reward instead. If he has a favourite food, use that food only for training so that it's special and he knows it does not come for free. The reward is his payment for the job. Your dog's favourite food or toy will motivate him to try to figure out what you want. If food rewards going to be part of your regular training routine, it is best to use treats that are good for him - below are some ideas to get you started!

Cheese

Tiny cubes of cheese can be carried in a bum bag and easy dispensed. If the cheese is cut up ahead of time and stored in the fridge, it will dry out a bit and not be greasy and messy when you are training. Most dogs love it.

Liver Cake

500g Liver
1 cup cornmeal (polenta)
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp crushed garlic or garlic powder

Method:

Chop and place raw liver in blender (remove stringy bits first!) and puree until completely broken down.
Add all other ingredients and blend thoroughly.
Pour mixture into a shallow baking tray lined with aluminium foil which has been sprayed with non-stick oil or margarine.
Bake in oven at 180 degrees C for approximately 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. This is easiest cut whilst still warm. Cut into small bite sized pieces (about 1cm square) and store in a container in fridge or freezer.

This recipe freezes well and can be given to dogs frozen. Makes approximately an ice cream container full. Wheat germ can be added to the raw mixture if desired. Any type of liver can be used.

Digging & Chewing

Digging and chewing are natural behaviours in all dogs. It is normal for your dog to dig and chew as it is for your 6 year old child to run and play. MOSTLY, if you dog decides to dig up your garden, or chew up your shoes, it is because he is bored, or lonely. If there is nothing to do, they will make themselves some fun.

Digging or chewing can also be a sign of stress - a new dog still settling in to a new home, changes to the family routine or a marriage break up. In a situation like this, try to stick to the dog's regular routine and give him or her plenty of attention. Dogs worry about being ignored and forgotten just like children do. Dogs are pack animals and need to feel as though they are part of your pack. Changes to your dog's "pack" can be very unsettling.

It is a good idea to:

1 Provide a sandy digging area in your yard for Fido 2 Organise for someone else to exercise your dog if you work long hours 3 When you are going out for the day, leave your dog some things to do, such as: * Raw meaty bones to chew * Commercial home-alone dog toys and treat balls * Home made dog toys * Radio for them to listen to * Children's' swimming pool - ie, plastic clam style - for hot weather * Frozen treat-icicles - Doggy icy poles!