Dogs go thru stroppy teenage phase, DogTV & how to stop your dog jumping up on people

Dogs go through stroppy teenage phase!

Don’t say you weren’t warned – but dogs exhibit adolescent behaviour at around 8 months!  Research amongst potential guide dogs found that at 8 months, puppies can forget previously learned commands, become very impulsive, are easily distracted and their behaviour is a bit erratic!  The researchers also found that how a dog is treated when young is more important in determining how it will socialise with humans than its breed or DNA.  The socialisation period for puppies is between 3-12 weeks and this is when they learn what is ‘normal’ and what they should perceive as a threat.   As with humans, the good news is that the stroppy teenage phase doesn’t last! 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4724174/Dogs-stroppy-teenage-phase.html

DOGTV

With 57% of US dog owners leaving their TV on all day for their dogs, Ron Levi decided ten years ago to create DOGTV and it’s now available in 14 countries and 120 million homes worldwide!  This article in Modern Dog magazine features a Q&A with Ron Levi and it’s a great insight.  They produce 3 different kinds of programmes – for Relaxation, for Stimulation and Exposure – the latter is science-based programming featuring sounds and visuals to desensitise dogs to situations and stimuli that they’re afraid of.  Dogs don’t see red or green so they don’t use those colours and content is filmed from a dog’s point of view.  As dogs have a short attention span, programmes are between 2 and 5 minutes long.  DOGTV is available as an App on iOS and Android.  Kind of a no-brainer to keep your dog entertained?!

http://bit.ly/2uJmqe3

How to stop your dog jumping up on people

Dogs jump up on us to get our attention – and it usually works!  The ThatMutt.com website has excellent training tips with plenty of details so you know how to implement them.  This particular article recommends a few ways of stopping your dog jumping up on you or other people.  Ignoring your dog is the answer – but the author say, you have to ignore the dog completely – no eye contact, nothing.  If ignoring does not stop the problem, she suggests a number of things including: Have a Plan – know what you want the dog to do instead; Instruct other people to ignore your dog; Stand on the lead to limit movement and/or use a pet corrector.  Have a read…..

http://bit.ly/2ver8Dw

Image: TheBark.com

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7 remedies to help an anxious dog - & off-lead training

7 remedies to help an anxious dog?

We all know anxious dogs and would love to know how to help relieve that anxiety.  Here are two different articles on the topic.  The first on MotherNatureNetwork.com says that anxiety can be personality or situation-based and the author suggests 7 natural remedies to help anxious dogs.  She states that training is still essential but recommends trying one or more of these remedies to calm the dog.  She details the 7 remedies which include dog calming music, distraction, exercise and something called a Thundershirt. 

In the second piece – a short 2 minute video on PetMD.com – a vet says that phobias usually develop between 12 and 24 months. Usually there is a specific stimulus.  Signs of anxiety include panting, ears back, pacing back and forth, trembling, urinating and being destructive.  Separation Anxiety is extremely common and she says there are a number of options including building up the time that you spend away from your dog – don’t just disappear for 8 hours having had the dog in your company 24/7.  She suggests hiring a pet sitter, using doggie day care or keeping your dog in a crate while you are out to stop him/her being destructive.  She also recommends working with vet and dog trainer to sort out behavioural issues.

https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/7-natural-remedies-for-anxious-dogs

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/behavioral/c_dg_fears_phobia_anxiety

Training your dog to be off the lead

This is a really good, if long, article on ThatMutt.com about training your dog to be off the lead – do read through to the end as there are great practical tips and a very honest account of the training process!  Lindsay’s tips include – you must have a strong bond with your dog before you start this training, start in a smart, controlled area and drag the lead (make it longer by attaching a training lead).  She recounts how her trainer used different techniques including doing all the training outdoors – this meant that the dogs were more alert and had to pay attention.  The trainer was also very definite about not treat-training!

http://bit.ly/2tjEXjz

Some truths about dog owners!

While the English are known as a nation of dog lovers, we in the Republic of Ireland actually leave them in the halfpenny place!  25% of adults in the UK own at least one dog, with 35% of adults in Northern Ireland doing so – but 40% (or 1.5 million) of RoI adults are proud owners of at least one mutt.  These weekly insight articles from Irish Marketing Journal/adworld.ie always throw up interesting facts and stats.  For example, this article tells us that people who own 2 or more dogs are more likely to say they won’t buy toiletries or cosmetics tested on animals and dog owners are also more likely than the average adult to trust homeopathy.   Interestingly, dog owners are less likely to be vegetarian and families with older children are more likely to own a dog than families with younger children.

http://www.adworld.ie/2017/07/14/insight-week-truth-cats-dogs/

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