As your puppy enters into its adolescent’s years, mounting may continue to be a problem, especially if there was no formal obedience training. If it is, ask yourself why your dog may be still be leash pulling, digging, or guarding its food.
If it still excessively pulling you down the street rather than walking matching your gate, ask yourself if it is trying to smell or explore. If that is the case, repeat as many times necessary the walking instructions you learned while in obedience class. If you never took your dog to obedience training, now would be a good time. The old saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is not true. It may take them longer to learn, but they can be still taught.
If your dog is still digging, ask yourself if it is bored or just looking for some fun. It may even smell something in the dirt and attempting to dig up some hidden treasure. If your dog is digging out of boredom, you need to up its exercise/playtime to burn off some of that extra energy. You can also give your dog its own section that it is allowed to dig in. Teach your dog to dig only in that location by burying toys and treats in that area. Reprimand when it digs in any other area. It will get the idea quickly just where it is allowed to play.
If your dog is still guarding its food when it eats, ask yourself if it is acting dominate. Dogs who tend toward dominate behavior can growl when anyone nears their food. Show your dog who is in charge by telling them to sit before you present their food bowl, then give them the okay to eat. After he is consistently calmer, add a treat to his bowl to get him used to hands being near his bowl. For dogs displaying this type of behavior, it is important to warn anyone in your home to prevent any possible injuries from a dog bite.
The main purpose of Doggie-Corral.com is to provide dog owners with an entire line of dog supplies needed to care for their beloved pets. We ship to the entire United States and provide a one stop shopping experience. We offer dog-training aids, dog insurance, health care essentials, dog apparel (e.g. dog shirts, Dog Pro sports apparel, dog boots, dog coats, dog College Sports apparel, dog blankets, dog sweaters, dog pajamas),dog beds, plastic and wood doghouses, dog crates and kennels, dog toys, dog chews, dog treats, dog and puppy foods, dog grooming products and more. Feel free to check us out at Doggie-Corral.com.
We would also love to have you connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Doggie-Corral on Facebook
Doggie-Corral on Twitter
I had to laugh when I read this article. My dog does indeed take me for a walk, or sometimes even a run. He doesn't seem to have a slow speed. He's always in a hurry. I have not tried obedience training, but you might have something there. I would really enjoy a good walk but not a trot!
ReplyDeleteI keep looking at that picture and wondering what would happen if that were my dog sitting among all those bags of dog food. He certainly would not be sitting there like that. He would have most of those bags ripped open and bits of dog food flying everywhere! I know that for a fact, I saw him in action with a 50 pound bag. I didn't think I would ever get that mess cleaned up.
ReplyDeleteGreat tip on the food guarding! I am so tired of Duke growling--now I'm going to be adopting a 5 year old...I need this fixed.
ReplyDelete