DOG TRAINING AND BEHAVIOR

Understanding Dog Language

"Dogs who enjoy each other's company can engage in a lot of rough and tumble interaction, and it can look pretty scary," says Tufts...

My Dog Hates Other Dogs

Frightened dogs, like frightened people, are at risk of generalizing their fears. That is to say, they may become profilers, says Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic veterinarian Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. For example, lets say a dog had a bad experience with a golden retriever when he was a young puppy. The retriever tackled him and rolled him over - maybe the retriever was even trying to initiate play - but it really frightened him. From…

Is an Electric Fence the Way to Go?

Dr. Dodman is not a big fan of teaching a dog by delivering a painful jolt of electricity to his neck. He has seen trainers drag dogs across the line with the gizmo set very high to deliver an excruciatingly hurtful nugget of power in order for them to learn. But, he acknowledges, the downside of a dogs not being contained can be pretty serious, with cataclysmic and even fatal injury possible. So I get it that people say, Whats the big deal about a shock with all thats at stake? But there are caveats.

Dog In the Bed, or Out of the Bed?

I was at a meeting recently speaking to almost 200 dog aficionados, says Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, who heads the Behavior Clinic at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. The room was filled with professionals - trainers, groomers, veterinarians - and a fellow speaker asked of the audience, How many of you have your dog in the bedroom? …

If You Change Your Mind

Some people let their dogs into bed with them when theyre still puppies but dont want to go the dogs whole life as bed partners. Thats okay. It doesnt make you a bad owner. But if youre going to get your dog out of your bed, do it cold turkey. If you try to accomplish it by degrees - one night in the bed, one night out of the bed - your dog will not…

Dear Doctor – The dog jumps on guests

The dog jumps on guests Q Our three-year-old golden retriever is lively and often hard to control despite the fact that she has been through two obedience classes. Our main problem is that she jumps on people. Every single time we have company, she jumps on them, and this is very problematic. What can we do? …

Those Things Dogs Do

On the face of it, it sounds like the most unique canine behavior in the world. A dog starts licking the air out of nowhere, or carrying an object in his mouth while whimpering the whole time. Or maybe he begins carrying food from one room to another before he eats it, or falling to the floor and flopping around like a just-caught fish thrown to the bottom of the boat. Guess what? If your dog does it, chances are others do as well.

Your Dog is Not Spiteful: Its Probably Separation Anxiety

At first blush the behavior looks vindictive. A four-year-old terrier/shih tzu mix named Tootsie is perfectly housetrained as long as her family is home. But she relieves herself all over the place when theyre not there, leading perhaps to the perfectly reasonable assumption that she is paying them back for leaving her. But wait. Tootsies stubborn-seeming behavior gets worse.

Separation Anxiety in a Geriatric Dog

Sometimes separation anxiety appears to blossom out of nowhere in an older dog. In those cases, most of the time, its a medical issue that triggers it, says Tufts animal behaviorist Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. The dog is in pain because of a medical condition that has become difficult, and she therefore becomes intolerably insecure and nervous in her owners absence. The pain or lack of function that sometimes comes with old age can really undermine a pets security. Often, dogs whose separation anxiety has been triggered by a physical condition had sub-clinical separation anxiety before that was just never picked up.

Intent to Chase

Ms. Coombs, we feel your pain. Many of us at the Cummings School love dogs who love to chase. Its a common problem, says Tufts animal behaviorist Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. And its why, in the old days, when people let their dogs out by themselves, so many of them were killed. When I was a veterinary student, I once saw a dog who had been hit by a snow plow and was in the ICU for several weeks.

The Very Best Trainer Might Not Be Available

The very best possible trainer for your dog is you. Nothing strengthens the bond between an owner and her new dog like one-on-one training sessions - sit, stay, down, and so on. But you may not be available. Perhaps you love dogs and are thrilled to have one as a companion but know you simply lack the necessary patience (and it does take patience) or worse, cant keep your temper under wraps. Or maybe you simply dont have the time to make the commitment.In situations like those, its definitely a good idea to hire a trainer.

Dogs in Military Service Takes On New Meaning

Youve no doubt heard stories of soldiers and dogs who have forged strong bonds on the combat field, reuniting at home to become, well, family. Now, new research from Tufts suggests that the children of deployed soldiers may benefit from a close relationship with a dog as well.