Category Archives: Dog behavior

Dogs sniff, do you know, why?

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The dogs are excellent at smelling. The dogs are known their excellent olfactory capability. At times the same capability makes the owners nose wrinkle in disgust. The dog’s digs and rolls on some thing that is buried long back. It will smell a hell, is it not? Now, the owner will have the burden of cleaning the dog once again.

It is very common sight, the dog sniffing at the owner or other people or grass or food. Many won’t know the reason. The reason is nothing but the excellent capability of its special equipment, nose. Because of the special equipment only the primitive dogs survived. The olfactory sense of the dog helped them to smell the prey from longer distance and also helped the fury companion to escape from danger.

The dogs sniff a lot. By this they can smell the presence of other dog in the near distance. One could have noticed the dog sniffing the other dogs back. The dog does this to identify whether the other dog is friend to play with or foe to be wary off. Each dog has unique smell and the smell is very different from the other dog like finger print in human beings.

There is no doubt that the dog is the best friend of the human beings. The dogs will give their life if it is required to protect the owner from any danger. The dogs can also sense the emotional state of his master and behave accordingly. The extra-ordinary olfactory sense of the dog can very well differentiate the tears of pain and tears of joy. The dog will lean on you and snug at you, if they sense that you are sad. They are doing this to offer comfort to you to over come the sadness.

The dog also sniffs the stranger to know whether he is a danger to the house or friend of the owner. The dogs can easily tell you whether the pooch is pregnant or not. The furry friend can also find out whether the owner is well or not. This ability is not by sixth sense. This ability is by their extraordinary olfactory sense which is many times better than human beings. The dogs not only find out whether a women is pregnant or not, they can also find out find out certain type of cancer and other ailments by the special equipment, nose.

As you know the dogs help a lot in policing. The dogs are very effective in search and rescue operation, all because of extraordinary olfactory sense. The dogs can find the person who is buried under rubble or snow or any other. The dogs are very useful in narcotic squad and bomb squad. The dogs which are specially trained can find out the narcotic substance and alert the police to apprehend the person. Likewise the dogs can also help in defusing the bomb by identifying the location of the bomb using the excellent smelling ability. Kudos to the furry companion for the great help extended to the human beings. They deserve it for sure, is it not?

Abnormal Signs Of Increased Appetite

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Beagles and Retrievers are known for their enormous appetites and nonselective feeding habits. A dog’s increased appetite may be an indication of a disease condition. In the cold weather, all the dog is having increased appetite. It is not a problem!

The old saying that dogs will eat only what they need is simply not true — the fact approximately one-third of dogs in US and UK are overweight bears witness to that.

Abnormal Signs of Increased Appetite

A sudden increase in appetite may have an obvious cause, such as an unusual spurt of activity, growth (in young dog), pregnancy, or underfeeding. If the dog’s eating habits have the following characteristics, ther may be an underlying medical problem:

  • It eats feces of its own species, or  other animals- cows, sheep, or horses, which is called as copraphagia.
  • It eats more rapidly than normal, cleaning its bowl as quickly as possible (this may be competitive, if sharing mealtimes with another dog).
  • It eats less selectively and sometimes ingests inedible matter. This is called “PICA“.
  • The dog demands food at unusual times of day and is unsatisfied when its meal is finished.

Disorders of the adrenal gland and pancreas, including sugar diabetes, may affect appetite, so it’s wise to take a urine sample with you as well. Kidney disease can cause protein loss and muscle wasting, leading the dog to eat more. Even some medicines have the effect of increasing appetite, so be sure to inform the vet if your dog has received any recent treatment.

Intestinal worms are common causes of increased appetite, and your vet cancan carry out a simple test to establish whether they are present in the dog’s stools, or feces. If the worms are ruled out, the vet will look for disorders of eating and swallowing that leave hunger unsatisfied.

Occasionally, however, a dog’s increased appetite is not caused by greed but by one of a number of medical problems. The dog may eat indiscriminately, or develop an unusual eating habit. Vets call this dog’s increased appetite as “POLYPHAGIA”.

How To Deal The Dogs That Want To Bite the Mailman?

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This is a problem that many owners want help in dealing with. Like most social animals, dogs are territorial to some extent and quick to defend their home territory. encouraging your dog to bark if the doorbell rings or if it hears intruders reinforces their behavior.

Problems start when the dog carries on barking or keeps visitors away. Fear, isolation, poor socialization, and confusion about hierarchy all help bring it about. Biting the mailman is an extreme form of this behavior.

The dog sees that the mailman wears a uniform that singles him out from other visitors. Because he does not come into house, the concludes he is an unwanted visitor. He advances only as far as the mailbox and then retreats again, and the dog come to believe it is his barking that drives the cowardly mailman away.

How To Deal?

Try to persuade your dog he is no threat. Introduce him to mailman away from the mailbox, demonstrating relaxed and friendly behavior as you would with any other visitor. You may have to do this many times.

Separation Anxiety in German Shepherd Dogs

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Do you know separation anxiety is the most important reason for disowning a pet among the dog owners? Separation anxiety is also noticed among German Shepherd Dog. A dog that exhibits one of a variety of forms of behavior, such as barking, howling, destructive activity, house soiling, or obsessive behavior, only when it is left on its own, may be suffering from separation anxiety.

It is mandatory that the dog be thoroughly examined to make sure there is no other underlying cause, such as physical illness. If the problem of behavior also occurs when the owner is present, as well as away from the house, then another cause should be looked for.

Dogs with separation anxiety are usually over-attached to their owners and unable to cope with isolation. They may well be obedient and affectionate but will follow their owner all over the house, even in bathroom.

Typically, they become distressed when their owner gets ready to go out and show elation on his or her return. Fortunately this aberrant behavior will last long for few minutes of the departure of the owner but won’t last long through out the day. Even the dog health will become worsened due to this behavioral problem.

There are numerous factors that predisposes to separation anxiety. German shepherd puppies that spend every hour of the day and night with their owner and are then suddenly left alone will not be able to cope well with the unexpected long period of isolation.

It is important to leave the German Shepherd puppy on its own for short periods of 10 minutes or so to begin with, gradually working up to longer absences. Puppies that have been hand reared, raised in kennels, or sold through pet stores are particularly vulnerable to separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is also common in dogs adopted from rescue shelters.

How To Correct Dog Messing in The House even after a Trip Outside?

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Some of the owners experiencing the dog is passing motion even after a trip outside. One of my client putting his outside, then he stands in the doorway to watch his dog “perform“, then reward him as he comes back into the house. Again he has started messing in the house even after a trip outside.

The Mistake

The main mistake done by my client is the act of “REWARDING”. Actually the owner is rewarding his dog when he comes back inside, so he thinks the owner will be pleased if he relieves himself when he comes indoors instead of out in the yard..

Remedy

The owner should go outside with him and reward him with a tidbit or lots of praise immediately after he has finished.

Prevent Dog Begging

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One of my client reported that her adult dog started to beg food from her when she is at the dining table along with her family. She wants to stop dog begging.

The Remedy

I have given the following remedy to correct this unwanted behavior-

“Try feeding your dog just before you sit down to eat. If she still comes to the table and you cannot keep your family or visitors from feeding her, then tie her up at the other side of the room or put her in another room while you are eating. Save table scraps to put in her dish if you want to, and feed them to her when you have finished.”

This simple advice help her dog from begging while they are dining along with the family.

Why Your Dog Urinates On The Rug Right In Front Of You When You Come Home?

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Most of the pet owners really show hatred behavior once they see their dog urinates on the rug in front of them when they return back from the office. It is not difficult to correct this housebreaking activity.

The main reason for this housebreaking is you would have scolded your dog harshly in the past for varied reason. That’s why your pet has become slightly fearful of you, and is showing her submission and deference by urinating when she sees you.

How To Correct This Housebreaking Activity?

Next time you return home, ignore her completely so long as she adopts a submissive posture, and wait until she is standing on all four feet before greeting her calmly without fuss. Don’t show anger when she urinates. She cannot help it, and you will make the situation worse.

So, there is solution for every dog housebreaking activity. Your patience, understanding and compassion will help you to get rid of all type of housebreakingactivities. If you have any other problem of housebreaking, you can contact your vet to get rid of the same. ALL THE BEST!!