Dogs - Dog Blog - Little Paws Dog Training for dogs

How can I stop my dog urine marking in the house?

How can I stop my dog urine marking in the house?Treatment for urine marking can depend on the source of the problem causing this behaviour. Corrective programs can range from dominance control and acclimation to desensitisation. Since this can be wide and varied, it is wise to seek professional advice so that the right corrective program can be established for your dog.

This is something you should talk to your vet about.

Alternatively, here are a few hints and tips to help tackle urine marking in the house:

Ensure any areas that your dog has urine marked are fully cleaned with an ammonia free cleaner (such as PetSafe Super Safe Disinfectant and sprayed with an odour eliminator. Attempting to mask urine smell with scents and air fresheners will not be effective.
Praise your dog when they urinate in the correct places (i.e. outside).
Where possible, keep strange dogs away from your house.
Dogs will often ‘urine mark’ over the marks of other dogs.
Unlike house training mistakes or submissive urination, your dog should be aware that for correct place to urine marking is outside. But this can only be done if you catch them in the act of doing it, not a few seconds later. Just as they are about to urine mark say “NO, OUTSIDE!” . Continue watching them and the minute they mark outside praise them warmly.

2006 07 23

Why do dogs urine mark in the house?

Why do dogs urine mark in the house?Urine marking is usually a result of stress and anxiety to some factor- or factors- within their household. Here are some of the most typical ones:

Introduction of a new baby or unwelcome guest.
The introduction of another dog or a dog staying with you.
Your dog accesses areas of your house it does not usually have access to.
Objects entering your house that have the scent of other dogs (e.g. clothing).
An imbalance in the hierarchical status within the pack (e.g. where a dog thinks it is a good time to improve its rank within the pack, marking objects to show his possession of them).

2006 07 23

Why do they urine mark?

Why do dogs urine mark?Urine marking is a territorial, social and sexual behaviour in dogs. They use urine as a powerful communication tool. From it, it is believed that dogs can determine important information such as species, gender, if a female dog is in season and much more.

Territorial marking is the main reason for urine marking in male dogs. We only have to look at our dog’s wild ancestors to understand this behaviour. As pack members, wild dogs and wolves lived within a well-delineated territory. This territory provided all the resources required to sustain a pack, including food and mating opportunities. Nowadays urine marking is the means by which dogs mark the boundary of their territory. This makes it clear to strangers that they have crossed a territorial boundary and, to avoid conflict, it would be a good idea to turn back.

Female dogs are also prone to urine marking, but to a lesser degree than males and usually for a different reason. As well as small amounts of testosterone, female dogs also excrete their own urinary (and vaginal) pheromone, parahydroxybenzoic acid. This chemical signals to other dogs how receptive they are to mating and it is at its strongest during a heat cycle.

2006 07 23

For the purposes of this article we have divided them into five categories:

Why is my dog hyperactive?

Why is my dog hyperactive?

Many owners are caught unawares by the excessive energy that their dogs display. Sadly, this can be such that many dogs find themselves in animal shelters simply because their owners are unable cope.

Living with an over active dog can be extremely challenging and many young dogs can be particularly testing during this phase. It is important to understand that there are many things you can do to reduce over activity, but before we discuss this further I would like to touch on the term ‘hyper-activity’.

Hyperactivity term is often used to describe all excessive activity by dogs, but it is important to understand that true hyperactivity relates to a fairly rare medical condition that may even require veterinary attention. The symptoms of true hyperactivity include frantic abnormal behaviour, moving endlessly whilst panting and appearing restless. Compulsive movements such as tail chasing are also symptoms. Although these habits can also be displayed in perfectly normal dogs, it is always worth taking veterinary advice if you are in any doubt.

In the vast majority of cases, over activity is just unruly behaviour for which there are many things you can do to help.

2006 07 23

What can I do to make the car journey more comfortable for my dog?

What can I do to make the car journey more comfortable for my dog?

You may want to make sure your dog has an empty stomach before getting in the car. Don’t give him any food 3 to 4 hours prior to travel. Some vets also recommend limiting water intake just before travelling.
Allow your dog to relieve itself before travelling.
If you know your dog is prone to car sickness, be sure to take it slow, and be extra careful around sharp curves or up and down hills.
There are a number of homeopathic solutions that help reduce travel sickness. These include Johnston’s Travel Eze.
Open the window a little, fresh air does wonders for animals that have a tendency to get car sick. Take note of the temperature; dogs cannot regulate their body temperatures as efficiently as humans can, so make sure it isn’t too hot or too cold in the car.
Looking out the window can bring on nausea in many dogs, so consider keeping your pet safe and secure in a covered portable crate.
Be prepared in case the dog gets queasy in the car. Cover the seats, bring towels, paper towels and bags, give a back seat dog plenty of air, play soothing music, and do not play music too loudly.
For long road trips, give yourself and your pet a rest stop and take a walk every two or three hours. Avoid dehydration and take a good travel bowl will allow them to have a drink during the break.

2006 07 23

Dogs
Dog Behaviour

What can I do to prevent or cure car sickness for my dog?

What can I do to prevent or cure car sickness for my dog?First and foremost, it is important your dog associates car journeys with positive and good things. To do this, you need to acclimatise them slowly.

First, get your dog used to just being in the car, without it going anywhere.
Then start to do very short journey’s (5-10 mins) with a really positive experience at the end of it - usually this would be a nice walk or a ball game in the park.
It’s a good idea to have someone else in the car during these initial journeys. This person can sooth and distract your dog during the journey.
At the end of the return journey, create just as much fuss and play a short game.
Gradually build up the length of the journeys up to about 30 minutes. If your dog is sick during a journey, reduce the length of the journey such that it ends before they are sick. Build the journeys up again.
When your dog is able to do 30 minute journeys without stress, anxiety or sickness, you are pretty much there

2006 07 23

Dog - What causes travel sickness?

Dog - What causes travel sickness?For the vast majority of dogs, car sickness is related to stress rather than the motion of your car. Some say that your dog’s most powerful memory is of the car journey that took it away from all it ever knew to be safe and secure, namely its litter mates and mother. So from a very young age, car journeys are often associated with bad things.
Like humans, dogs can also suffer from motion sickness. Motion sickness can be caused by a number of factors, but primarily it is by movement in the inner ear.

2006 07 23

My dogs fearful or shy article

Why is my dog fearful and shy?

Why is my dog fearful and shy?Many dog owners are surprised to learn that what starts as fearfulness in a puppy, can readily develop into aggression as they grow up. Others mistakenly believe that aggression in their dog is a result of dominance issues and often punish the dog when they display it. All in all, many owners do not realise that fear and anxiety is one of the primary causes of aggression in dogs.

Dogs are often scared of loud noises and items that are unfamiliar to them. Some are afraid of others dogs, other are afraid of strangers, children or cars. We have even come across dogs that are afraid of barbeques and other everyday objects. Usually this is a result of lack of socialisation and early exposure to different experiences as a puppy. It may also be because the dog has had a negative experience with these objects in the past, which is particularly relevant when dogs are fearful of other dogs. Either way, the aggression shown is the only way your dog knows how to get away from what it believes to be a genuinely dangerous situation.

2006 07 23

Why does my dog chase other animals?

Why does my dog chase other animals?

By instinct, dogs are predatory animals. In fact, many breeds have been bred for their ability to chase and hunt prey animals. Dogs generally consider any animal that runs away to be either prey or some kind of game, unfortunately this can include animals such as cats, sheep, horses, rabbits and possibly other smaller dogs. When dogs catch up with prey, they soon learn to bite first, to avoid being bitten themselves.

Preventing this is often one of the greatest challenges of raising a new dog and indeed some of the best trained dogs have an uncanny ability to ’switch off’ to any training commands once engaged in a full-flight chase. The following hints and tips will help minimise your dog’s opportunity to develop significant chase instincts:

Lots of chase games condition your dog to focus their chase instinct on toys.
Always leash your dog when walking through fields of livestock.
Don’t allow your dog to stray too far when out on walks.
Never leave your dog alone with other small pets such as rabbits and hamsters.
Train your dog the Chase Recall

2006 07 23