Happy Life Dogs

SOME BASICS ABOUT YOUR DOG'S BEHAVIOR

• Listen to and Observe Your Dog
Learn to listen to your dog and watch his reactions. If your dog appears to be uncomfortable meeting another dog, animal or person, don’t insist that he say hello. He’s telling you that he isn’t comfortable for a reason and you should respect that. Forcing the issue can often result in bigger problems down the line.
• Be Generous with Your Affection
Most people don’t have a problem being very clear about when they are unhappy with their dogs, but they often ignore the good stuff. Make sure you give your dog lots of attention when he’s doing the right thing. Let him know when he’s been a good boy. That’s the time to be extra generous with your attention and praise. It’s even okay to be a little over the top. Praise can also be used to reward calmness. Just dial down the happy or you may lose that wonderful peaceful state.
• Tell Him What You Want Him to Do
There is nothing wrong with telling your dog “no,” except that it doesn’t give him enough information. Instead of telling your dog “no,” tell him what you want him to do. Dogs don’t generalize well, so if your dog jumps up on someone to say hello and you say no, he may jump higher or he may jump to the left side instead of the right. A better alternative would be to ask him to “sit” or “Back up.” Tell him what you want him to do in order to avoid confusion.
• Be Consistent
Whenever you’re training your dog, it’s important to get all family members involved so everyone’s on the same page. If you are telling your dog “off” when he jumps on the couch and someone else is saying “down,” while someone else is letting him hang out up there, how on earth is he ever going to learn what you want? Consistency will be the key to your success.
• You Get What You Reinforce – Not Necessarily What You Want
If your dog has a behavior you don’t like, there is a strong likelihood that it’s something that has been reinforced before. Dogs learn in patterns. A great example is when your dog brings you a toy and barks to make you throw it. You throw the toy. Your dog has just learned that barking gets you to do what he wants. You say “no,” and he barks even more. Do NOT give in and throw the toy now! Why? Because you will have taught him persistence pays off. Before you know it you’ll have a dog that barks and barks every time he wants something. The solution? Ignore his barking or ask him to do something for you (like “sit”) before you throw his toy.
• Bribery vs. Reward
The idea of using treats to train is often equated with bribery. Truthfully, dogs do what works. If using treats gets them to do what you want, then why not? You can also use the world around you as reinforcement. Every interaction you have with your dog is a learning opportunity, even without treats. So why does your dog continue to hang out? Because you reinforce him with praise, touch, games and walks. Just remember, the behavior should produce the treat; the treat should not produce the behavior.
• Freedom
Let your new dog gradually earn freedom throughout your home. A common error that many pet parents make is giving their new dog too much freedom too soon. This can easily lead to accidents relating to housetraining and destructive chewing. So, close off doors to unoccupied rooms and use baby gates to section off parts of the house, if necessary. One of the best ways to minimize incidents is to keep your dog tethered to you in the house or by using a crate or doggie safe area when you can’t actively supervise him.
• Help Your Dog Succeed
Use simple commands such as “Leave it”,”Wait”, “Quiet”, “No Bite”, “Off”. Don’t bury your commands in a barrage of words. Dogs do not speak English and complicated sentences are difficult for the average dog to learn. Look at your dog and speak clearly when you want him to perform a task. Hand gestures (when consistent!) really aid a dog, especially when learning new things. Do not use your dog’s name when correcting. If your dog associates “Fluffy!!!” with frustrated or fierce energy, training and performance is likely to suffer. Check out the floor/ground you are on when asking for performance. Many homes have hardwood floors that are very difficult for dogs to maintain a sitting position. The slick floor has no traction for paws so the dog slides out of position. Pet parents sometimes don’t notice this difficulty and become frustrated when the pup won’t hold the “sit”. I usually ask the dog to lie down, rather than sit, on slippery surfaces.
• Have Realistic Expectations
Changing behavior takes time. You need to have realistic expectations about changing your dog’s behavior as well as how long it will take to change behaviors you don’t like. Often behaviors which are “normal” dog behaviors such as barking, digging and jumping will take the most time. You also need to consider how long your dog has rehearsed the behavior. For example, if you didn’t mind that your dog jumped up on people to say hi for the last two years and now you decide that you don’t want him to do that anymore, that behavior will take a much longer time to undo than if you had addressed it when he was a pup. Remember it’s never too late to change the behavior but some will just take longer than others.

Send a message to learn more

DOG FIGHTS
Dog fights are intense, dangerous, and scary. And when your beloved pet is involved, your instinct will be to step into the line of fire to rescue them. It’s essential for your own safety and that of your dog that you know how to correctly recognize and break up a dog fight.

Why Do Dogs Fight?
Dogs fight for many reasons including resource guarding of territory, toys, or food. Or they might react out of fear. Some dogs go on the offensive when they feel threatened hoping to scare the other dog away. Frustration can also lead to aggressive behavior, especially in a dog that has not learned emotional self-control. And a dog can also be pushed too far past their point of tolerance. This can be the case with a reactive dog that is overwhelmed by certain triggers, or a dog that is in pain and therefore lacks patience.

How to Tell a Dog Fight From Rough Play
Dogs play to rehearse more serious behaviors, and many of their games can look aggressive with body slams and throat bites. Plus, many dogs play growl which can make the activity seem even more vicious. So, how do you know the difference between roughhouse wrestling and a dog fight? A close look at the dogs’ body language and behavior should help you decide. Here are some things to look for:
• Are they relaxed and floppy or tense and stiff? Dogs at play will move freely with loose joints and easily moving tail.
• Are their mouths hanging open or are their lips tight or snarling? Dogs use a wide-open play face to show the other dog they mean no harm.
• Does the action start with a play bow (the dog’s front end goes down to the ground while the rear end stays up)? This gesture signals that everything to follow is all in good fun.
• Are the dogs taking turns doing the chasing, slamming and biting? During play, dogs will alternate being the mock aggressor.
• Do they bounce around with big movements? Dog fights are efficient with fast movements, not the exaggerated gestures of play.
Prevention is the Best Policy

Because there are so many causes and because the consequences of a dog fight can be so severe, the best approach is prevention. Learn how to read dog body language and understand your dog’s signs of stress. Anytime you see that your dog is approaching the edge of their comfort zone, intervene and remove them from the situation. You want to predict a fight before it occurs rather than waiting until it’s too late.
The following list of possible signals will help you recognize when your dog is stressed:
• Vocalizing. Your dog might growl, whine, or bark.
• Tucking the tail.
• Flattening the ears back against the head.
• Showing whale eye. This is when you can see the whites of your dog’s eyes.
• Lip licking and/or panting.
• Yawning.
• Excessive sniffing. This can be a displacement behavior to avoid confronting the source of the stress.
• Pacing.
Also be aware of signs of aggressive intent, both in your dog and in those you encounter. For example, a hard stare is a threat in dog language. A dog that is guarding something will often lower their head below their shoulders and stretch their neck forward. Raised hackles are another common sign where the hair on the dog’s back will stand up. Freezing or sudden stillness often precedes an attack. And don’t be fooled by a wagging tail. Although an aggressive dog will often have a stiff or straight tail, wagging just the tip, or short, sharp wags can be a threat gesture as well.
How to Break up a Dog Fight
Even with the best prevention strategy, your dog could still be involved in a dog fight. And intervening can literally be a matter of life and death for your dog. But how can you safely break up a dog fight? First, never put yourself at risk. It’s instinct to jump into the fray, grabbing the other dog or sticking your hands near their mouth. But even your own dog won’t recognize friend versus foe in the heat of the moment. You could suffer serious injuries as a result and still not break up the fight. Plus, if you’re injured, who will be there to care for your dog?
Instead, here are several methods for breaking up a dog fight that will help keep you safe while hopefully diffusing the situation between the combatants:
1. Distract the dogs. Anything that diverts their attention can potentially allow your dog to escape or you to safely pull your dog away. Try a loud noise like blowing an air horn or banging metal pot lids together. Soak the dogs. Either spray them with a powerful hose or dump a bucket of water on their heads. Throw a blanket or jacket over each dog so they can no longer see each other.
2. Use an object to separate the dogs. Be certain to keep your hands and face as far from the dogs’ mouths as possible. Options include a metal garbage can lid, a piece of plywood, a baby gate, a chair or a large push broom. Depending on their size, you can also try to get each dog in a laundry basket or other enclosure you can drop on them from above.
3. Physically separate the dogs. This should be your last resort as it puts you at the most risk. If there are other people to help you, you can use the wheelbarrow technique. One person is assigned to each dog involved and approaches that dog from behind. Then grab each dog by the hind legs and lift them so they are balancing on their front legs like a wheelbarrow. Then walk the dogs backwards, away from each other and into separate areas. Keep moving until the dogs are apart to prevent your dog from turning back and biting you. If you are alone, grab the aggressor dog's back legs and pull away.
If the dogs appear unhurt it is very important that you reduce lasting trauma from the altercation. Bring the dogs to proximity (4-10 feet) and calmly have them lie down. If possible, give a belly rub to make sure your dog leaves the scene with a positive mind-set.
Hopefully, you and your dog will never find yourselves in this situation. But if you do, get your dog to a veterinarian immediately for assessment and consult an animal behaviorist to ensure there are no long-lasting psychological effects for your dog.

Send a message to learn more

WHY DO DOGS IN THE SAME PACK FIGHT?
To our eyes, dog attacks come out of nowhere and are unprovoked by the innocent second dog. However, our human eyes often miss the warning signs clearly and waiting for us if we know where to look for them! Dogs communicate with each other through snapping, baring their teeth, tail position and movements and raising the fur on their backs. While we can catch those signals if we are watching for them, they tend to get lost in the hubbub of everyday life. Some of them may happen while we humans aren’t around to supervise. Essentially, one household dog attacking another one isn’t unprovoked. There are always warning signs that we either catch or miss.
Why is my dog attacking my other dog?
If your dogs were previously best friends and found snuggling together on multiple occasions, you may be completely confused about why one is suddenly attacking the other.
The most common reasons include:
• Dominance/resource guarding
• Last straw
• Sickness or injury
• Frustration or stress
• Fear
• Overexcitement

Dominance/resource guarding
Many disagree whether this is a learned behavior or an instinctive behavior. Regardless, it presents the same way! Your dog will see the other household dog as a threat to his resources. These include food, water, treats, toys, comfort, and love.
Whether this new dog is, in fact, new to the household or has been around for a while, the to-be-attack dog will see this newcomer threat that must be warned. One of the most common terms for this is going to be a fight for dominance. Since dogs are pack animals, they will look for the leader or try to be the leader. A dog that is resource guarding will be fighting for dominance over this other dog, shown through aggressive behavior that will convince the other dog to submit.
LAST STRAW
This is similar to what we’ve talked about before but is vital to understand separately. A dog may attack a dog that has been in the household for days, weeks or months, simply because that dog threw down “the last straw.” From the would-be-attack dog’s point of view, it looks a little something like this: “I’ve been patient with you, but you just took my favorite toy, so I need to remind you who’s in charge and put you in your place!”
As mentioned above, there would have been warnings that the new dog didn’t see or chose to ignore. The would-be-attack dog is now following through on those warnings to put the other dog in its “rightful” place.
SICKNESS OR INJURY
If a dog is sick or injured (mild or severe), it won’t be as patient as usual. If another dog starts picking or does something to make the other dog feel worse or in pain, the unwell dog will attack. Think of this as a “Back off, I don’t feel good. Leave me alone.” This is especially so if the other dog wants to snuggle or play.
Frustration or stress
A dog that is frustrated or stressed is going to have minimal patience. So, when another dog takes his favorite place to sleep, the dog will be so angry that he’ll tell the other dog off so that he can rest in peace. Again, this will also happen if the dog wants to play or snuggle when the other dog wants to be left alone.
FEAR
Dogs feel fear a lot more than most humans realize, brought on by something like fireworks, a new person, a new animal, being disciplined severely by a family member, etc. In struggling to deal with that fear and confusion, this dog won’t want to be pestered or generally around another dog. It may even be that they blame that other dog for the fear, even if that dog is entirely innocent.
Similarly, if that other dog is looking for comfort because it is feeling scared, the other dog won’t have it since it is also dealing with the fear and trying to understand what’s going on.
Overexcitement
This one is often confusing until you think about communication between dogs and what it may mean. When a dog is excited about a new person arriving, a tasty treat, going for a walk, or something else like that, they’ll get so excited that they’ll just need to take that out on the other dog, and they will actually attack them. In this case, it’s a happy motivation rather than a negative one. This is similar to how kids get so over-excited that they’ll start hitting or even crying and having a tantrum. They’re so overwhelmed with excitement that they just have to let it out somehow.
Should I intervene when my dogs fight?
A great question. If it’s a serious fight (and not play fighting), you’ll want to intervene if you can do so safely .Make sure that you are firm when intervening, but resist the temptation to be angry or chastise either dog. This can just make the problem worse and build up resentment between the dogs. If the fight continues or goes on despite your intervention, you’ll want to put each dog in separate rooms until either, or both, calm down. If separation isn’t possible, you’ll need to muzzle both of them to prevent either of them from getting hurt.
Will dogs stop fighting on their own?
If you’re feeling frustrated because your dogs are fighting and you’re concerned that it will not stop, it’s okay to be feeling this way. After all, you love your dogs, and you don’t want either of them to be hurt or scared!
Dogs will stop fighting when the issue for the fight itself is revealed and resolved. After all, the war itself is the symptom of something else going on with the dog attacking the other one. The critical point is, of course, resolving the issue! This is not a situation where you can just ignore it and hope for the best. This could end up with one dog hurt and terrified, and it may get to the point where having a healthy relationship between both dogs is impossible.
How do I stop my dog from attacking my other dog?
First and foremost, you’ll want to focus on following the proper steps to help keep the aftermath as safe as possible. The steps to follow for everyone’s safety and peace of mind are:
• Separate dogs temporarily
• Resolve the issue
• Monitor together time
• Keep it a positive experience
• Repeat as necessary

Separate dogs temporarily
This is done just to make sure that everyone takes a few minutes to cool down and remember that they love each other, basically. Humans do this all the time, after all! The separation should be done not as a punishment but just to prevent someone from getting hurt. Take some time to cool down yourself, too. Dogs feed off our energies, after all. If we are calm and collected, this can help re-introduce and deal with the problem much easier.
Resolve the issue
Next is going to be figuring out what problem caused the fighting in the first place. This can be challenging, but it’s essential for prioritizing.
Dominance/resource guarding /last straw
If your dog is attacking your other dog because of any of these three issues, you’ll be happy to know that it’s relatively easy to solve. You simply need to help your new dog understand where the rules are and help your other dog understand that its needs aren’t going to be threatened. Teaching the new dog about boundaries would make sure each dog gets their favorite toy and that the new dog isn’t taking over all of the best snoozing spots. If there are particular spots that your other dog loves, you’ll want to make sure that it still gets access to those spots. Sleeping areas tend to be personal for dogs, especially if close to their human. Allowing only one dog on the couch is an invitation for trouble.
When it comes to helping your current dog make the adjustment, it’ll be more about reminding it that it is still loved and wanted. After all, there’s so much jealousy that goes on at first when a new pet comes in. Remind your current dog that you still love them, and there are still lots of treats and toys and walks to be had. Spend dedicated time one-on-one with each dog so they can understand that they aren’t simply being downgraded or replaced.
Sickness or injury
If you think that your dog may be sick or injured, even if it’s not especially obvious to you, a trip to the vet is a great idea. This is also great if you notice other signs of a problem, including lack of appetite or being very sensitive with one paw.
Frustration/stress/fear
If your dog is frustrated, stressed, or fearful, the main focus is going to be making sure that they know everything is okay. This will be mainly through your attitude and energy.
In the case of frustration, take a look at what is making your dog frustrated. Is the newer dog doing something? Is your dog frustrated because there has been no designated walk for a day or two?
When it comes to stress, this could be stress from something like hearing the word “v-e-t” or having a stressful new person or animal come into the house, etc. As much as possible, do what you can to limit stress and be a calming influence so that they know everything is okay.
With fear, this is where you can be your fearful dog’s very best friend. A calm and loving tone is one of the best things to focus on when talking to and dealing with your fearful dog. Stay calm and make it clear that he is safe and sound. Do this with both dogs, if necessary, but remember to give both equal attention. Do not pet or soothe a fearful dog. This actually reinforces the fear and will confuse your companion.
Overexcitement
If your dog is overexcited, you’ll want to do what you can to limit unbridled excitement in your dog. For instance, teaching them to control themselves and “calm down” when things get exciting. For example, if your dog gets over-excited when walking, keep your dogs on separate leashes with a bit of distance to prevent snapping and nipping. Or let them loose outside so that everyone has space to be excited without injury.
Monitor together time
When you have the issue resolved and sorted out as best as possible, you’ll want to monitor their time together after a fight/attack. Keep an eye on both dogs for signs of another one and make sure that they both carefully listen to you when you need them to.
Keep it a positive experience
Even in a situation where things get testy or perhaps your dogs “still aren’t talking to each other,” make sure that you keep yourself positive and calm. It will help them settle down and get things back to normal much easier and faster when they see that you are feeling positive, too.
Repeat as necessary
If they get into another fight, repeat these steps. Keep on doing it for as long as it takes to help restore the peace in your house. Understanding the underlying causes of aggression is crucial for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all pets involved. Taking proactive steps can help restore harmony in your household.
If you feel that you aren’t getting to the bottom of the issue or that the re-introduction process isn’t quite going well, consider hiring a dog behavior specialist to help! It could be a simple fix that will really make the difference.

Send a message to learn more