Why is socializing your puppy important?

Not too long ago while dog training in Brooklyn, our Long Island Dog Training School was delighted to see this Brooklyn Labrador puppy that displayed nothing but the utmost confidence.  One of the reasons for this article on SOCIALIZATION can be attributed to our Brooklyn dog training lessons with this Lab.

Socializing your puppy is a very necessary thing included in a dog’s training. A puppy who socializes well, can handle all sort of changes in the environment. If your puppy is friendly, he will be able to tackle situations appropriately for instance if kids ride their scooter over his tail or if any visitor forcibly keeps petting your puppy.

With Socializing it will be a better and safe place for your puppy to live. When Socializing your puppy kindly keep your attention to these areas:-

1. Things
2. People
3. Places
4. Other animals

To avoid any problem in the future it is necessary to keep a leash with your puppy. This will help your puppy in many perspectives like you can keep your puppy away if any cycle or car passes by.

Socializing your puppy with people is also important (Our Brooklyn Labrador Retriever was a pleasure to watch around people, his demeanor was fantastic)!  This will help them in understanding both male and female human behaviors of different ages and regions. It is very essential to take your dog somewhere outside like the park, beach and so on. Outside he gets a chance to observe lots of people, and children .They even play with children because dogs enjoy most with kids and simply love playing with them. It also helps in keeping your puppy active.

Take your puppy along with you wherever you think it is possible. It gives them the exposure to various social settings. Always remember to stay calm and relaxed when socializing your puppy it also applies in different areas like people, things or animals.

People and animal both enter in this world without knowing anybody. A puppy is just like a newborn baby who needs your support to familiarize with the world. If you don’t socialize your puppy then he might turn out to be antisocial, fearful ( fear aggression) and anxious dog.

Make your puppy socialized it is important, as it helps them interact with other dogs.  Our Brooklyn dog training prodigy…Baily was great around other dogs! This is possible by enrolling them in a puppy class. It is very essential to choose the best puppy classes available. Choose the class where they don’t teach dog by punishing them. This can have a negative impact on your puppy. He can become ferocious which is not good for people around him.

There are many preschools for dogs which start at the age of eight weeks and ends at twelve weeks. Proper socialization takes time. You have to be very patient. In the end this patience will show the result as you will notice your puppy is well behaved and very friendly.

Socializing your puppy will be a bit difficult but you can’t avoid it as it is very necessary for your dog. More quickly your dog learns to trust other animals, objects and people he will be behaving in the near future. Whenever you have time take your puppy out for socializing. You may also receive lots of appreciations from the people saying that how sweet and friendly your dog is.

As with any articles found on this Long Island Dog Training Blog, it is the contention of the author to clarify that the articles are opinions, experience, and beliefs of the dog trainer.  In addition, any article posted to the Long Island Dog Training Blog is not a substitute for puppy or dog training, especially when it comes to behavioral problems such as aggression.

Dominance among dogs is evident in many ways, depending on the activation trigger and the environment your pet lives in. If it reacts aggressively, when you touch it while it is eating, it can be a sign of dominant dog behavior.  This is actually a protective behavior exhibited by dogs to guard their resources. Dominant behavior may also surface if it is not getting anything it wishes, like any particular toy. If charm fails to work then it might resort to barking fiercely to get the thing it wants.

Dogs are pack animals and this is basically the reason why they display dominant traits and also many other behavioral issues. So, if you have a dominant dog that tends to become aggressive when denied something it wants, keep reading, but more importantly consult with a professional dog training school. There are many measures you can undertake to control this behavior. First and foremost, establish your position as the owner in your dog’s mind very clearly. This is a very crucial issue and it should be done at any cost. If the leadership of the household is not clear, your dog may assume the role as it is their instinct.  As a reminder, this conduct, new behavior very rarely happens over night, it many cases it happens in small increments at an undetected level and pace.  A dominant dog may start by taking small liberties and then become increasingly stubborn regarding its wishes. So, it is necessary to prove your role as the leader as early as possible. This does not mean that you should physically punish or lock up your dog. Instead, be firm and authoritative, rewarding proper conduct simultaneously.

Sometimes, even owners unsuspectingly train their pets to behave in a dominant fashion which they discourage later. The tug of war game is one such game, where you in fact train your dog to go against you and also overpower you in addition to being aggressive.  As far as this Long Island Dog Training School is concerned, tug of war should be introduced when and only when your puppy or dog understands that you are the pack leader, because it may boost the competitive spirit in a dominant dog. Playing fetch is the safest game and it also teaches the pet to report to you.

Make sure that you start training your dog as early as possible because it is easier to control your dog when he is younger. You should start training your pet preferably, when he is a puppy. Behavioral rules learned at a young age are easily accepted by puppies and you may find it a bit difficult when you try to rectify aggressive behavior in grown dogs.

Another measure to correct dominant dogs is exercising them on a regular basis. This results in curbing their excess energy and excitement as well which consequently curbs aggressive behavior. It is a proven fact that dogs that lack exercise tend to be more aggressive and dominant than well exercised dogs. The trick is to provide an outlet for the excess energy.

The main aim of all these measures is to guarantee safety of your family as well as your dog so that your dog can be a loving and loyal friend of you and your family. Now you probably have a complete idea on how to deal with dominant dogs.

Pet owners must have noticed their dog snarl or growl when any other dog or even you approach it when it is eating. This is actually known as dog food aggression, Our Long Island Dog Training  School has seen different levels of this aggression. It is one of the many behavioral problems faced by dogs and this can be mitigated by dog training techniques. Once your training is successful, your dog maybe more happy and safer from undesirable consequences of dog food aggression towards other dogs or humans. However, please remember that our Long Island Dog Training School advocates using  the word mitigating or modifying, rather than curing, if it is cured that is a bonus, but not an expectation. 

If you come across dog food aggression in your dog you should take him to a veterinarian as this behavior may be provoked by any kind of medical condition. A medical reason usually includes diet, which is may be incompatible to the digestive system of your pet. If that reason is proven to be not applicable to the dog food aggression of your pet you should move on to other options. There are many reasons because of which your dog may exhibit this kind of behavior. Dog food aggression is a kind of dominant dog behavior. 

Insecurity about food which means feeling as if it is the last bowl of food it may be getting for a while may be one of the reasons. Sometimes, lack of socialization with humans as well as other dogs also results in dog food aggression. Also, not exercising your pet on a regular basis may lead to over excitement in the form of nervous dog aggression. Abuse and abandonment also goes a long way in altering dog psychology. It is a commonly observed problem among rescued and adopted dogs. 

Dog food aggression can be treated in a number of ways. Exercising your dog sufficiently is one way of treating this aggression. By doing this you actually relieve dogs of their pent up energy which lessens their excitement and also their aggressiveness. Disciplining your dog is also useful but take care that you do not punish your dog physically or in any other way and try to reward it if it performs admirably to your commands. It should be noted that physical punishment, apart from being inhuman, actually raises the aggression levels dangerously in your dog. Last but not the least you should establish your position as the owner as clearly as possible. One way of proving this is letting your dog eat after you have finished.  

In a nutshell, dog food aggression may be caused by a number of behavioral or medical problems. However, you can definitely treat them by adhering to proper humane and professional methods. If after using all the available measures, you still do not get the desired results you should immediately consult a dog behavioral specialist or a veterinarian. You should never forget that hitting your dog is never an option. It only worsens the aggressive behavior of your dog and is also unacceptable. Your pet actually deserves and needs all your love and affection. You and your dog will be very happy together if you follow a professional’s advice to correct dog food aggression.

Many of our perspective members call us with a description of their puppy or dog’s behavior.  Many times they are describing what they believe to be an aggression issue.  A while ago, we had a person from the Queens, New York area who called us to speak about his dog’s fear aggression; well needless to say upon our arrival this Queens dog had more dominance aggression that he had fear.  Just for the record a dog can in our opinion have both fear aggression and dominance aggression (this is not a good mix).

You must have observed that your dog can get aggressive when it is frightened. This behavior is called dog fear aggression. Growling, tail tucked between the legs and ears pulled back are the signs of dog fear aggression. People may confuse dog fear aggression with direct aggression. Dog fear aggression is caused when a dog is frightened by any reason or situation. Dogs tend to get aggressive when frightened because they do not know any other way to deal with the fear; even though it may not be the case, they may perceive they have know other way out, causing the aggression to appear. People wrongly assume that a dog is actually being mean when it attacks or bites. You must keep in mind that your dog does not bite because of aggression but it is fear which makes them. Here are some tips for handling dog fear aggression. 

A dog actually bites because it has panicked and does not see a way out (this was not the case with the our Queens dog training perspective member, his dog upon seeing me went for a direct hit). Biting is the only way it knows to deal with any problem. You can prevent your dog from biting if you know the signs of a dog who is scared. So, here are a few tips to recognize a scared dog. 

In any unfamiliar environment nervous or submissive dogs often bite out of fear. Bent elbows, hunched back, flat ears or tucked tail are some of the signs of fear in dogs. The dog may also pant excessively, poop or urinate and also avoid looking directly at you when it is frightened. You may be curious about the causes of this behavior. Dog fear aggression may be related to the past history of your dog. For some dogs it could be genetic or hereditary, while for others it could be because of some past trauma like dogs that are abused or abandoned. Whatever may be the reason, you have to address this problem. So, keep reading if you want to know the methods which are used to treat dog fear aggression. 

You must remember that you cannot pressurize your dog to triumph over its fears. You can help your dog to adjust with new people as well as new surroundings. However, if your dog panics and tries to bite you may not be able to stop it as this behavior is impulsive and not aggressive and no amount of training can be used to stop this behavior in this case, you need to mitigate the circumstances that support this behavior to arise. A dog is not a baby so don’t to treat it like one. So, if it gets panicky acknowledge it and move on. There is no need to fuss over it as this may confuse it. See to it that your dog is social as well as confident. You can do this by supplying your puppy or dog with some training program. Be sure to reward it with small treats, at first and praise when it obeys a command properly which shows it how proud you are of it. Find out what scares your dog and help it to overcome it by getting used to it (desensitizing). Treating it when it displays positive behavior around the object or situation which it is scared of is also advisable. Being patient and hard working is sure to pay off when it comes to curing your dog of dog fear aggression.