Life is very rewarding when you have a puppy, but without proper training it wont outgrow any bad behaviors it might have, and an example of that is biting. I tell people who ask me that this is just a puppys natural instinct, and will outgrow it at some point.

However, if your puppys biting tendencies get overboard, you should now probably think about how to get it to stop biting.

You can use water as a simple obedience training to get your puppy to stop biting. Basically what you do is get a water gun or sprayer, catch the dog doing something wrong, then lightly spray it. Its effective, especially when the puppy is caught off-guard.

Of course, for this to work you have to be around your puppy enough so that you can quickly catch and punish it whenever its doing something wrong. If you cant be around enough to catch your puppy when it is biting, your punishment will be inconsistent, and it wont work. Consistent water sprays are effective in training your dog to stop biting, but inconsistencies wont help your puppy understand its punishment.

You can also try the yelp technique, which is also effective in preventing your puppy from biting. This method is used to make your puppy stop biting you or other people, and not items around the house. What you do is when the puppy bites you, you yelp instead of being angry at your puppy.

This makes use of the pack mentality, and it makes the puppy think that by yelping, they bit you too hard and will stop biting. This is very effective in getting puppies to stop biting, and it also doesnt confuse, pressure or intimidate your pet.

Another great technique is to use orange peels around the house. Dogs dont like orange peels for some reason, and you can put orange peels on items your puppy likes to bite to make it turn away from that object. White pepper is also an effective substitute.

Overall, however, just remember that biting in most puppies is just a passing stage of doghood; most puppies grow out of this stage, and it helps if you add in a little training to make sure it doesnt continue when your puppy gets older.

Posted under Puppy

A sweet pup would usually be depicted as a pet with a warm nose, watery big brown eyes and an anxious way of licking that you would always want to feel. Whether it could be from those tiny children, to teens and to those sturdy men, a puppy can level the playing field fast.

Isn't it so soothing and sweet every time a little puppy would always find a way to be cuddled into your arms or feel you hug them and make them feel wanted? What dog owner hasn't thought, "I wish he would stay a pup forever?" In less than twelve months, that tiny fur ball could weigh more than your adolescent son and eat more than he does, as well!

If a puppy with a very young age is the one that you have chosen to bring home as a pet, you will be given the chance to train him on your own terms so that he could adjust to your life-style and environment. You also get to enjoy those comic moments when a pup makes discoveries like chasing his own tail or catching a ball. These times are so unforgettable. If you take heed of the old saying that goes, "you can't teach old dogs some new tricks," then starting off with a pup should be the thing that you must do so that raising him in your own terms and schooling him to suit your needs and lifestyle can really be possible.

It is more likely for dogs to show off most of their underlying characteristics from their breed as time passes by and they grow more mature. Those violent looking and daunting watchdogs were also able to melt the hearts of their keepers with their charming looks during the times when they were still just puppies. Once grown, that same dog can stare a hole through an intruder instantly be prepared to rip his hearts out to protect his territory (and his keepers).

As temperate as they may seem, those show dogs would surely require you of an extreme and repetitive educating to fully harness their skills. If you want the show dog to execute on command, letting him be spoilt for quite some times particularly in between trainings can be just confusing to his part. Dogs who have functions take those roles seriously.

There are breeds of dogs that no matter how old they are, they just seem to be small in appearance, thus, if you want to have a pet that would still have those pup traits or looks like a puppy even if for a long time, then you might as well go for that kind of dogs. There are dogs where their breed calls for a continuous effort of cuddling and caressing. The patience to deal with such inactive keepers is what these kinds of dogs have and they won't get bored if they too, would get stuck watching Television all day.

But the truth of the matter is, those dogs are less likely to be tolerant with inactivity when they are still in the pup phase but as soon as they get mature enough, patience is just their virtue and somehow, inertia is also something that they relish provided that they are being cuddled. Being a pup is more of like going through the stage of being a young child - wherein the time to explore, run, get scratched or bumped and the like are just the moments that they enjoy.

Discovering new things is just what most pups are so excited about - that all or most of the instructions you gave tend to be quickly forgotten. They wander around, even outside the protective boundaries of your yard.

You just can't escape the fact that having a pup to live with you or your family can really be tiring, but of course, very enjoyable and memorable. A puppy desperately wants your love and approval, so you have to rectify it without being harsh. Puppies coming from the same breed doesn't guarantee the thought that they can actually be the same so you cant just compare their traits as they each has their own distinct traits.

Each puppy has its own character and abilities, so, during his training, he will improve in a way that is based in his own pace and not identical to the pace that his siblings had gone through or to the dog that you owned previously. Either way, dogs can turn into adults who just seem to get on your nerves with its irritating behaviors but were once as pleasing and as fascinating as babies, just like the way humans are. So having a dog means committing all your love for him just the way you do with your other loved ones all throughout your life.

Posted under Puppy

Aggressive dogs can be an issue for all concerned. They can be especially frightening for small children and adults alike. Even though some breeds are more aggressive than other breeds there is usually an underlying issue why a dog is aggressive. If you figure out why your dog is acting out you can tailor your training methods to curb his aggression. You will be a happier pet owner if you can trust your dog to be gentle in most situations.

Aggressive behavior can be caused because your dog wants to establish dominance. Dogs are pack animals and there is always a leader within the pack. Your dog may want to establish himself as the alpha dog. However, you need to be the alpha dog so let your dog know that you are the leader of this pack. He may still act aggressively towards other animals or other dog's as there is a hierarchy to the pack. This may be one reason why your dog acts aggressively.

Another common type of aggression in dogs is territorial aggression. Your dog will relentlessly protect everything that he considers to be "his" including yourself, your home and your family. While this can be a good thing if you are threatened at some point, it can cause many problems in regular circumstances. It is seldom that a family is truly threatened and if your dog's territorial aggression is out of control it can cause problems with visitors and neighbors. Excessive territorial aggression is unacceptable behavior.

Often a dog will lash out from fear. Something frightens your dog and rather than retreat he strikes out and attacks. The dog will start growling, pull his ears back and tuck his tail between his legs. Many times this type of aggression is mistook for direct aggression. Fear aggression is always caused by a situation that has frightened the dog. He is lashing out because he is frightened and does not know how to handle that fear.

A dog's aggressive behavior can be misdirected. Something happens that causes the dog to feel anxious yet he is not able to take his aggression out on what really caused the aggression so he takes it out on something else. This may be a reason why your dog may be fighting with other dogs for no obvious reason. He is releasing his anxiety and aggression that was caused by something else.

There can also be biological issues for aggression. Many times a female dog can be aggressive when they are nursing a new litter of pups. This type of aggression is understandable as she is protecting her litter from any perceived hazards. There is also always a possibility of a medical problem if your dog is overly aggressive so taking your dog to the vet for a thorough examination is always recommended.

Getting your female dog spayed and your male dog neutered can slow down aggressive tendencies. This also contributes greatly to the good health of your dog. If you are not in the business of breeding dogs it is just the responsible thing to do and it will make your aggression training easier.

Your training efforts to curb aggression will be more efficient if you take into consideration the causes why your dog is being aggressive. Understanding the reasons for your dog's aggressive tendencies can help you to tailor your training efforts to his needs.

Posted under Dogs