Monday, January 21, 2008

Dog Dominance Behavior – Dog Humping and Dog Mounting Problems

By Rena Murray
Among the many dog dominance behaviors, those surrounded by perhaps more myths than any others are dog mounting problems and dog humping women. No, contrary to popular opinion, these obnoxious dog instinctive behaviors have absolutely nothing to do with sex. How embarrassing, though, for those who do not know this!

"Don't worry," I said to a client who was bright red as he observed his male pup trying to mount mine. Visibly, the client wanted to dig a hole and hide. He was mortified! His dog aggressively continued in his attempts at dog mounting and dog humping on mine, especially going for the head. (My good-natured, large dog easily shook him off.)

"I didn't know my dog was queer," he said very sheepishly and apologetically. I could not contain my laughter as I reassured the man that it was not so. How common is that misconception? In the dog world, there is no such thing as a "gay dog!"

One dog mounting over another one's head, or even unsheathing his penis, is fairly common. The mounting dog is seriously trying to seize control over all others. The unsheathing is to release his scent on the other dog, to proclaim to all the others that he won the battle over this one.

Think about this fact: If a male dog mounts a female for mating purposes, his equipment does not miss its target. He does not fail to put it in the right place. If his intentions toward another male dog were sexual, it would be done. Note that his aim, when riding up from behind the other dog, is OVER the tail and back, not under the tail. That is NOT sexual! Riding up on another dog's back raises the first dog above him. It is a reminder that, "Hey, you're not the boss here!"

When the dog mounts another one's head, he is going to one of the most extreme displays of dominance in the dog world. The head is the highest part of the dog. Bringing the head down brings the dog down from his highest point. It is all about who is higher than whom.

When a dog unsheathes his penis and releases liquid, that forces the dog who is leaked on to wear the scent of the dominant one. It is a very potent scent and stays for some time, making the low rank obvious for many miles -- and even to other packs within scent range.

Dogs constantly try to dominate each other. That is dog instinctive behavior, among the rituals they go through every time they meet each other. The dogs will first size each other up through eye contact. If one surrenders by lying down, then leadership is settled. If not, the wrestle for dominance truly begins.

As they wrestle for the dominant dog position, the dogs continue to mount each other until one rolls over submissively and turns his eyes away. Until the eyes have completely turned away, surrender has not happened, and the dog who is losing may try a sneak attack against the other. Look out!

We homo sapiens usually prefer the challenge of a game such as "rock-paper-scissors," a mind game like chess or Scrabble, or a socially acceptable ball game. It is less embarrassing to the public eye.

You have sometimes seen dog fights break out as the dogs jockey for position, through wrestling or stare-down dares. Normally, however, one dog raises his head higher than the other, and the one with the lower head surrenders.

Clearly, this is an instinctive dog behavior, a ritual dogs often go through. I recommend to all who are interested to question experts and to study this dog dominance behavior for themselves. Dog humping women and dog mounting problems have nothing to do with sex, and they CAN be solved. Remember, there is no such thing as a "GAY DOG!"

About the author:
Dog Obedience Trainer - Dog Behaviorist, Rena Murray, dares to tell it like it is! Growing up with the Horse Whisper, avid wolf pack studies, Pit Bull and other dog training, Rena solves "impossible" situations, e.g., teaching an old dog new tricks, solving dog dominance and dog destructive behavior, even stopping a Doberman attack in mid-launch! Available for Consultations, Rena blends the best of the Dog Whisper and other techniques to each specific situation and will bring fresh insight to yours. See Rena's Expert Articles and subscribe to her FREE Ezine at http://www.PawPersuasion.com and comment on Rena's BLOG - http://www.pawpersuasion.com/blog/

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Leash Training - Dog Training

By John Williams
Leash training or lead training is the discussion of many dog trainers in this modern age and discussions of how to train your dog in the nicest possible way are aplenty. These discussions are brought about by people and dog trainers believing that pulling on the leash to correct a dog's behavior is causing injury to the dog.

I'm not here to discus this also, but I certainly don't believe there is anything wrong with leash training if it is done in the correct way and care is taken not to hurt the dog or give any sudden forceful pulls on the leash.

Leash dog training is equally as popular as any other form of dog training within the expert dog training community because when done properly it gets results quickly and effectively.

Leash training is used by correcting your dog's movements and gently tugging on the leash to force the dog to go in a way they would not have originally gone and to direct them in the favoured way for the training exercise in hand. Often the problems of leash training are with getting your dog comfortable with the leash and collar so I will briefly discus the key aspects of getting your dog to behave when going for walks on a leash and the problems you might face.

Some dogs are excited to get their collar on and other are not so fond of it, train your dog to sit and stay first before learning to take your dog on a leash, many dogs like to wriggle around and run about wile you try to put a collar or lead on them so the sit stay commands will be essential.

While doing any pre-leash exercises or walks if your dog misbehaves by being too excited you should simply remain calm and not go for walks until they are acting appropriately, this should calm your dog down and act as a light punishment for them.

When starting leash training, begin in your own home and then work your way up to more populated and new and interesting places, if your dog misbehaves or is pulling on the leash constantly when they are out then discipline accordingly, and as always practice will be the deciding factor to how quickly your dog will accomplish good behavior.



About the author:
John Williams website owner

For more information on dog behavior training visit the dog-behavior-training.co.uk website at this link...Dog Training.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Dog Training - Dog Bathing

By John Williams
Dog bathing is a must when living with a dog. Dogs naturally get smelly and are not like cats in being able to wash themselves well and be hygienic, this is why dog owners have to look after their dogs hygiene for them once in a while.

Dog bathing should take place when your dog starts to smell or is very dirty, some breeds of dog find it very hard to keep smelling pretty as you will quickly come to notice. Running around every day rubbing yourself up against trees, bushes, benches and rolling around on grass or getting drenched head to paws in rivers or puddles are all common occurrences in a dogs life and all contribute to dog smelliness.

It is important to make sure you brush your dogs coat and fur through before every bathing session to remove all bits of debris that may have got caught up in your dog's fur since their last bath along with tangles or matted hair that may have formed. If you ignore this step any tangles and matted hair will get worse after bathing and make it an impossible task to rid of them.

You will need to use special pet shampoo and conditioner to clean your dog; human shampoo uses a different ph level and can be bad for your dog's skin. Starting off by letting your dog get used to running water, warm water should be used to wash your dog, it is best to use a jug or container to gently pour water on your dog. Be sure not to put water directly on your dogs face to be sure not to frighten them off or scare them.

When your dog is wet, keep reassuring them and rewarding them if the behaviour is good to get the message across that bathing is not a bad thing. Rub the shampoo and conditioner onto your dog gently and being sure to do a proper job of getting all the smells and everything else out.

To finish off, rinse all the soapy water and shampoo of your dog and dry your dog in the same way you would yourself or if your dog has easily matted hair use patting only to dry your dog, when this is all done reward your dog with praise and rewards for being cooperative with you.




About the author:
John Williams website owner

For more information on dog behavior training visit the dog-behavior-training.co.uk website at this link...Dog Training.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Dog Training - The Heel Command

By John Williams
The heel command is another very important and popular command for your dog along with many others listed on www.dog-behavior-training.co.uk, taking the time to teach your dog this command will save you hours of getting annoyed when your dog doesn't behave on long or short walks around your local area.

The reason dogs are so 'badly behaved' when it comes to going for walks can be for many different reasons but the most common in many homes is the excitement of wondering the streets with all the new smells, tastes, and other local dogs to discover.

The best times to train your dog and get them to do exactly what you want without too much fuss is before feeding times, if your dog wants something they will give you a lot more attention than normal. Also puppy's and younger dogs are better to train, even with them getting over excited over everything, puppies and young dogs will be much better behaved and easier to train when they get older.

The heel command, when performed well and properly is used to stop your dog or puppy in their tracks, drop everything and return to your left hand side. Any distractions should be left alone and your dog should carry on walking closely by your side.

To begin with you will need to go in a fairly open space with enough room to move around and walk around properly, and you will need to use a lead to gently correct your dog in this exercise.

Begin by tapping your thigh saying 'heel' to get your dogs attention and them to come towards you, when they are by your side wait a couple of seconds then start to stride forwards, at this point your unknowing dog or puppy will try to run off ahead. If this happens you should turn in the opposite direction letting the lead go slack for 5-10 feet, start to walk in the opposite direction and as soon as the slack goes in the lead your dog will realise you have gone in the opposite direction and run towards you again.

At this point repeat the first step of commanding heel to get your dog by your side. Continue doing this exercise for 10 - 15 minutes and about 2-3 times a day. Before long your dog will become used to coming to your side and obeying you whenever you command heel.

When your dog gets used to doing this command try going in circles, in figure of eight, and changing directions suddenly, if the command is still working then try your dog on short walks and then build your way up to longer walks as you progress.

Never use the lead to discipline and roughly tug on, if you feel yourself getting annoyed then you should stop and continue at a later date when you are calmer. Keep repeating the process and your dog will eventually come to respect you. Some dogs take longer than others to train so be prepared for this behavior.




About the author:
John Williams website owner

For more information on dog behavior training visit dog - behavior - training .co.uk

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Dog Training - Dog Skin Problems

By John Williams
Dogs scratching and licking themselves can drive dog owners mad with frustration of trying to discover what is causing the terrible itching your dog is feeling. Dog skin problems are not uncommon in dogs and no matter how much you look for fleas, ticks, and other pest you may not find anything but bad dog skin problems.

It certainly is a worry when your dog spends most of their time scratching, itching and licking themselves to try and get rid of the annoying tingly burning sensation they are feeling, when all it's doing is making it worse for them. There is no way to make it better for them but taking them to the vet and seeing what the skin problem is.

There are many different suggestions that could be made about your dogs skin problems and only after studying your dogs skin and possible other tests could an expert tell you the problem that your dog has

Possibilities of dog skin problems:

Parasites are a possibility for you dog itching and scratching, there are many different types of pests that cause your dog to itch but generally they are either ticks or fleas, easily found by rubbing the dog's skin for lumps or looking for flea faeces in the fur.

Dog allergies are also another common cause for itchy rashes on your dogs' skin, once you find the cause witch could be something in the dogs' basket or sleeping place, the remedy is easily solved by removing the offending product from reach of the dog.

Bacterial and fungal skin infections are last on this list of common skin problems for dogs these can be found by either loss of hair in areas of your dogs' body with dry skin in the centre and a general soar look to the skin, or by ulcer like patches on your dogs skin also looking soar and painful.

And that completes the main categories for dog skin problems, please remember to always consult your vet about your dogs' skin issues to help ease the suffering and pain for your dog.




About the author:
John Williams website owner

For more information on dog behavior training visit the dog-behavior-training.co.uk website at this link...Dog Training.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

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