Ways to Confuse Your Dog

If your dog barks and you grab your dog’s snout to stop the barking, you are only creating more tension.

Your dog goes too far out of his yard. You call your dog to come back home. Your dog lowers his head as he comes back to you. When your dog comes to you, you smack him. You tell him, “You are not allowed over there!” You just told your dog it was bad to come to you.

You are walking your puppy on the sidewalk. Another adult dog comes running over to you and your puppy. Puppy gets excited and jumps up putting his front paws on the other dog as your puppy is growling. You pat your puppy on the side and tell him it is okay to try to calm him down. You just taught your puppy that acting in a dominant manner is a good thing. You are at the beginning stages of raising an aggressive dog.

You are out walking with your dog and your baby in the stroller. You let your dog walk ahead of the baby in the stroller. By doing this, you are showing and telling your dog that she is ahead of the baby in the pack order.

You pick up your small dog. Your dog is wiggling and whining to get free. You let your dog down as he wishes. You just showed your dog that he has power over you and reinforced it.

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

Adolescent Dog Behaviors and Fixes ~ Leash Pulling, Digging, and Food Guarding

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

Adolescent Dog Behaviors and Fixes ~ Mounting

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 mounting.

Is your dog trying to express dominance?
Dogs mount other dogs as a show of dominance. If it becomes a real problem, keep your dog on a leash when he is around other dogs, then reintroduce him to group play in a few weeks.

Does your dog have some misplaced sexual energy?
Male adolescents mount their owners in a fit of misplaced sexual energy. Stop this by quickly pulling your leg away and issuing a sharp “NO!.” Follow with another command to “sit” or “down”. Neutering hasn’t been proven to reduce mounting behaviors, however it may reduce it in dogs where the behavior is not habitual.


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

Adolescent Dog Behaviors and Fixes ~ Barking

As your puppy enters into its adolescent’s years, barking may continue to be a problem, especially if there was no formal obedience training. If it is, ask yourself why your dog may be barking excessively.

Is your dog barking because it sees or hears a stranger or other animal? It can be difficult to teach a dog to stop barking when it sees a stranger or animal in the yard. They see it as a threat to them or their owner and their barking is a way to alert you and the “possible intruder”. As the person or animal moves on due to your dog’s barking, this reinforces the behavior. You can reduce barking inside by teaching your dog the “hush/quiet” command by firmly saying “hush/quiet” and offer a treat after they have obeyed.

Is her bored or anxious? If your dog is barking excessively because it is bored or anxious, it is trying to tell you it is unhappy. It is a way for them to relive built up tension, anxiety, or energy. To eliminate this form of barking, make sure you are spending ample time with your dog by giving them additional exercise. If it persist, your dog may be having issues with separation anxiety and you would fare well by enrolling both of you into a behavioral program.


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

Adolescent Dog Behaviors and Fixes ~ Chewing

As your puppy enters into its adolescents years, chewing may be continue to be a problem. If it is, ask yourself why your dog may be chewing.

Is it teething? If you believe your dog is still teething, give it ice cubes several times a day to help alleviate the pain. Chew toys or bones may also help sooth aching gums. Try even freezing them before giving them to your dog.

Is he bored? Bore dogs will seek out ways to entertain themselves, and generally will find solace in chewing. Increase the amount of interaction you have with him. Take more walks or take out and throw the ball around in the yard for a while.

Is he anxious? If your dog is chewing out of anxiousness, reprimanding them at this point will only exacerbate the problem. Try to distinguish why your dog is anxious and work on eliminating the reason behind it. Often times it is not enough exercise, being alone too much, or inconsistent training.

Is he enjoying it? Most dogs finish the chewing stage by the time they are two, however, some dogs enjoy this stage immensely and will continue to chew forever. If this is the case, make sure to keep plenty of dog chew toys available and rotate them often so they do not bore of them and move on to your shoes.

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