I would like to introduce you to a dog named Jake. He is in what in human terms most psychologist would call passive aggressive. Only in terms of how he displays his affections, though! I don’t mean to make light of this situation because any aggression in a dog is not good. However, what I’m about to share with you is important for dog owners to realize and learn. Sometimes slight gestures and reactions or even non-reactions on the part of the dog owner can contribute to your dogs behavior! What do I mean? Well.. keep reading some of this information may ring a bell for you or someone you know that has a dog with similar issue’s.

In Jake’s case he is never aggressive with food or while going or on trips to the park.. of course! At least those were the words used by Jake’s owner to describe the unwanted behavior he wanted to change in his beloved dog. So after hearing the many stories of how Jakes greets the mailman I decided to delve further into investigation as to how, why and when this behavior happened.

Sweet most of the time, but Jake’s energy range goes from energetic to slug at different intervoles throughout the day and then suddenly when the mailman approaches psycho-dog! Then like clockwork, the mailman approached. Jake was in his usual “lounge lizzard” position draped over his usual chair, and then like a rocket, jumped out of the chair, and fired off his machine ( I’m gonna kill you) bark, upon hearing the rattle of the mailman open the mail box. Needless to say, this was not good.

O.k. so a lot of issues, right? I think many dog owners could use a basic understanding of how these behaviors develop and then that can the cure. Firstly, many (not all) dogs are not so mailman aggressive one would think. Actually, it’s the noise of the chain or opening of the mail slot they are hearing and usually barking at. In Jake’s case, he was not able to see the mailman, he just heard the mail being dropped in slot. So what to do?

Here are a few suggestions that I gave Jake’s owner. Dog’s respond to repetition and consistency in both the positive and the negative sense. Jake’s owner did not correct this behavior. Sure he said no, but after the fact. What was needed was to change the place Jake hung out on a daily basis, at least during the few hours a day that the mailman comes. By using a baby gate and creating a new space in the kitchen or hallway, just for a few hours, creates a positive boundary. Secondly, music would help drown out the alert cues of Jake’s hobby of listening to the mailman coming. A third option was to create a mail basket instead of opening the slot. If a behavior is allowed to be repeated such as daily barking then over time this can get out of hand and a really bad accident can happen. Dog owner awareness is key!

P.s. If you, as a dog owner, find that your dog is “over the top” aggressive toward people approaching your yard or property always seek professional help from a dog trainer in your area.

Is this product safe? Years ago these treats had some issues and unfortunately a few dogs choked and died. The treat is now new and improved with a soft, chewy texture that is easier to digest. They are now so soft that they are even bendable. The gummy texture helps remove tarter from a senior dogs teeth! Older dogs sometimes stop chewing things like chew bones, and dental cleanings are expensive but become necessary. However, like with any treat or dog chew you have to be a mindful dog owner! You really need to know your dog, ask your vet and think about when you give treats.

Seriously, I mean when you buy a treat for your dog, think about your dog and circumstance. Do you have multiple dogs? Does your dog gulp treats? How old is your dog? You are probably thinking, why should I ask myself all of these questions before giving my dog a treat or a chew!? Well, all of these questions have to do with safety and ultimately safety will save you heartache and vet bills. These treats like other treats and dog chews can be great if you read the packaging and get the proper size of treat for your dog. The main thing is that your dog does not gulp or hoard treats. If that’s the case this type of treat may not be right for  your dog. This treat is now new and improved to be chewy and easy to digest helping to clean teeth and has vitamins galore.

Paws for a Minuteâ„¢ safety tips for treats!

1. If your dog gulps treats, this treat is not the best. Beware of your dogs chewing behaviors. Check with your vet, first.

2. Read the packages and think before you buy a chew bone or treat!

3. If you own multiple dogs don’t give them all a chew bone or chew treat all at the same time. This creates a “shark effect” and frenzy that can cause choking.

This week’s product pick is Pup Orboâ„¢ with Treat spotâ„¢ I love this toy for puppies and senior dogs too! It’s bouncy, minty and specially formulated for teething puppies. It’s the best non-toxic chewy toy on the market for small toy breed dogs and very young 8 to 16 week-old pups. Here’s the best part senior dogs love this toy too! Finally, a great toy for older dogs. Older dogs may have teeth that may be getting fragile and therefore stop chewing and sometimes playing. This toy seems to give them a little pep in their step again! It’s made from a unique formula that encourages chewing, gnawing and is recyclable. My dog Daisy just turned 14 years old and she loves this thing!  She turns into a playful, feisty puppy upon seeing this toy, it’s lovely to watch.

Mark your calenders in just 2 weeks Paws for a Minute is opening our on-line store!  This toy and so many other cool, bed’s collar’s, bowls and more will be available. Stay tuned!

Crate training your puppy should happen in phases depending on your dogs age. For example, very young puppies should be socialized into the crate slowly over a period of time, even a few weeks, before the door is shut. Once your dog  can hold the urge to go to the bathroom all night,  you can then shut the crate door for a few hours a day to begin with. Remember, your daily routine is key. You should always give your dog lot’s of walks, exercise and hang time with you, as well as crating time even when your home. This is really important to realize. Many  people crate their dog only when they leave and the crate is associated with abandonment when it really should be thought of as the a plush condo. The length of crate training will depend on your lifestyle, work habits, age of your dog, and training that you have given while raising your dog. Obedience training ( heel, sit , stay , down and come) creates a language and allows you to develop trust. The rest takes time just like any other relationship. How do you know when you can stop crate training your dog? You’ll know. There will be no accidents for months, nothing chewed up during your dogs free time loose in the house and you’ll just know!

Friday the 13th scary face? Well you might be familiar with face or know of someone who has a little dog that that will take your face off when going over to their house. Not good! When a dog shows his teeth and growls that’s a clear warning which usually comes before a bite. In other words, the translation from the dog becomes if you take one more step closer, I’ll bite you. Why do some dogs get to this place of protection? Usually dogs who growl or show their teeth in self defense are not trained and socialized. What I mean by that is proper boundaries have not been set. I don’t mean discipline, I mean boundaries. Boundaries can be positive. Training a dog to learn basic obedience ( heel, sit ,stay ,down and come on a leash helps create eye contact and a positive boundary. The process of training also allows you to verbally and physically praise your dog for accomplishing something! These steps create a foundation and teaches your dog that through learning these steps your dog is able to please you. If you own a little dog who is sweet to you and then decides who he/she likes it becomes confusing to your dog that you are not redirecting him. Therefore, he/she will take over the territory (your house) and deem anyone else a threat to his territory, This behavior can happen to many little dogs from over coddling as a form of affection rather than praising your do for accomplishing a command.

Yesterday, I received a call from a former client telling me her dog has begun growling at her outdoors in the evening. Strangely, this new behavior began when she was ready for bed and asking him to come indoors. She wanted me to come over and correct this odd new behavior. I asked her to describe the issue. She said that her dog seemed spooked and would sort of hide in the back of the yard and as she approached him he began to growl. I asked her to describe what she did prior to leaving him in the yard. She confidently said that all she did was give him a bone while she was out and let him outdoors to enjoy the summer evening for a few hours. Bingo! Hello?

Giving a dog a bone outdoors can create problems like digging and territorial behaviors. Some dogs hide the bones and in the evening it can draw other animals to it. Not a good idea!

If leaving your dog in the yard for a few hours, exercise him first, then leave hard rubber toys or a ball to enjoy, instead.

Here’s my fun Paws for a Minuteâ„¢ quick tip!

Get a treat and put it in your back pocket. Use your body language to get your dog to come to you. Clap and praise your dog. As your dog approaches you reach into your back pocket, put the treat into your right hand and suddenly stand up! With your right hand ( the hand that’s holding the treat)  gesture the letter “j” or an upside down candy cane and say sit as you motion to your dog. That’s the training hand signal for sit! Your dog will focus on your hand and also smell the treat and drop the ball. When he spit’s out the ball give him the treat as you pick up the object he’s dropped!

* Tip: Fido Fact! Don’t chase your dog to get an object away from him. Hello? By doing that you are only teaching your dog to run away from you!

This is a great question that I get asked often! The answer may surprise you! Training your dog should be  is much like driving your car. It’s a step-by-step process that once understood, should be applied here an there within your daily routine, in and around your house. Dog training helps dominant and hyper dogs become calmer because the training and commands give them something to do with their energy. It also helps shy dogs become more confident because you are giving them boundaries on a leash and creating structure for them. All training should be taught at in the beginning on a leash. Then graduating over time to off leash commands. The problem for many dog owners is that they feel their dog should know how to be good, not bolt out the front door, or drag you down the street! Really though, it boils down to the dog owners application, consistency of teaching their dog in those locations where the commands are most needed, used or applied.

What I tell all my private clients to do, is to make a list of their vision of Lassie. To think about what areas in the house they most have difficulties with their dog. For example, if your dog is annoying you during meals. Then apply the stay command (on leash) and practice the command in that location. The main issue for many dog owners is that the concept of training becomes a huge task that never gets thoroughly finished. Sure you may practice training your dog in a group class and achieve some basics. But are you applying the same commands at home? My advice is to train your dog 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there, in and around your daily life. Once both of you are in sync and have created a trusting partnership, you can then apply the commands off leash.

Knowing the  Do’s and Don’t’s of dog park etiquette can help you socialize your dog, prevent dog fights, save money and be a great experience. Experienced dog park people may already know some of these tips but you may not realize what new dog owners might not know. Here are my top ten dog park tips!

Top 10 Do’s and Don’t’s

1. Remember to have you dog vaccinated. Kennel cough and other diseases can run rampant.

2. Flea remedies of choice should be monthly applied.

3. Bring your own water dish. This helps avoid possible future vet bills from illnesses spread through saliva.

4. Make sure your dog is spayed/neutered. This is really important. Some 6 month old pups can go into heat early. Yikes.

5. Make sure you have all of your tags and microchip information on your dog prior to going.

6. Make sure your new puppy is fully inoculated (has all it’s shots). Puppies under four months old should not visit the dog park since they will not be fully vaccinated until this age.

7. When introducing a dog into the park, walk around with your dog on a leash first. Owners of shy dogs, beware. If you have a really shy dog take it slow. Go into the park and walk with your dog on a leash for 10 minutes. Take off the leash only if you feel your dog is comfortable to play.

8. Don’t take dog treats! Hello? Think first or you will have 25 loose dogs hovering around you and sticking their noses in your pockets.

9. If there is a rowdy tough dog that is not leaving your dog alone, approach the owner and ask how long they are planning to stay and offer to leave yourself. Usually if you’re nice about things the other person will comply. If they are as nasty as their dog then it maybe easier to just leave and try again another time. It’s really not worth an argument with the owner.

10. If your dog is a park-a-holic and you’re tired of doing the groove of everyday dog parking, then change the routine. Go to a different destination or errand and you will find that your dog will adapt. This makes the next visit to the park a special one!

The proper etiquette for introducing a new dog much depends on your circumstance. However, having said that, there are a few basic rules. It’s best to not introduce new dogs in your home. The success of introducing dogs depends on the age of the dogs and their prior socialization to people, places, other dogs, noises, etc. Most young dogs and puppies should never have a problem with having a ball together. Usually the “iffy” circumstances will involve dogs that have vast age differences, issues with territory, or the very dominant dog who is untrained and therefore not looking to it’s owner for any direction.

Once I witnessed a man bring a very shy female siberian husky into a crowded dog park. The dog clearly had never been socialized in such a large pack of dogs that were in a free-for-all. I was too far away to intervene yet saw the signals and wanted to yell, “Nooooooo!” in slow motion like you see in the movies. It was too late. The guy walked in and unleashed this shaking female dog with her tail tucked like a seat belt of someone who is petrified of flying. I thought “OMG.. here we go”…and that she did. As the leash came off, she flew down the park screaming and yelping from fear. As her siren for help went off so did the other thirty loose dogs running after her. One ended up catching her and then pinned her down. None of the dogs were hurt, but that’s an example of what not to do. Always take your new dog into a dog park slowly on a leash and just sit or a few minutes. Let a few dogs come up as you walk around and let the dogs sniff each other. If you don’t have an ultra shy dog and you see that it wants to play then let the games begin! Another thing to check and make sure of is that your puppy is spayed or neutered. Many 5 or 6 month old pups may be ready to go into heat or be randy and that can create issues too.

If you’re wanting to integrate a new dog into your home that already has dogs, here are some first steps. The best thing to do is to go on a walk. Just begin walking with both dogs and ignore them. Talk with your friend and if the dogs look interested in each other and the walk is problem free, then let them sniff and continue walking.

Let the doggy dates begin!