December 2001
Who You Gonna Call?
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Teaching an Agressive Dog How to Be Social Around Other Dogs
When Goldie sees another dog, she goes nuts, growling and barking. If another dog approaches, she attacks. Rather than "correct" her with collar yanks and yelling, Sandi Thompson uses classical conditioning to change Goldie’s response to strange dogs.
Going for a walk with your dog may be one of your favorite ways to exercise and relax, but your pleasant outing can quickly turn into a stressful one if you happen to encounter another dog running loose. If the other dog is threatening or your own dog reacts aggressively, the situation can become downright dangerous. Like most owners of dog-aggressive dogs, Thea McCue of Austin, Texas, is well aware of how quickly an outdoor activity with her dog can stop being fun. Wurley, her 14-month-old Lab mix, is a happy, energetic dog who loves to swim and go running on the hike-bike trails around their home. But when he’s on leash and spots another dog, he sometimes barks, growls, and lunges. Since he is 22 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds, he can be hard to handle, says McCue. “When he pounced on one little 10-pound puppy, it was embarrassing for me and scary for the puppy’s owner!”
Dog Gear of the Year 2001
Subscribers Only Once again, it’s time to look back at all of the great products we’ve reviewed over the year and pick out our very favorites. The following are our top (four paws) picks from the last 12 months – great suggestions for gifts to put under the tree of your favorite dog-obsessed human friends or relatives, stuff in your dog’s stocking, give to the hostess of that upcoming holiday party, or buy for yourself as a reward for doing another whole year of positive training with your canine pal.
If Your Dog is Ever Exposed to Chemicals - React Quickly
Subscribers Only We hope you’ll never need the information in this article – but if your dog is doused with chemicals or survives a fire, these tips can help prevent long-term health damage. Of course, if you are aware your dog has been exposed to toxic smoke, dust, or chemicals, the first thing you want to do (after taking care of yourself and the rest of your human family) is to wash him as thoroughly as possible. Don’t forget to wash your dog’s collar, leash, and any bedding that he may have come in contact with prior to the bath.
Teaching Your Dog to Eliminate on Command
Housetraining is simple. You don’t give your puppy the opportunity to make mistakes. You do give him plenty of opportunities to do it right. Simple, however, does not necessarily mean easy. It means making a commitment to manage your pup’s behavior 24 hours a day, until he is old enough to be trusted with his house freedom for increasingly long periods of time.
Make Your Home Healthier for You and Your Animal Companions
Subscribers Only A healthy home is a happy home. We can all agree on that. How can you make your home healthier for you and your animal companions? We can tell you 20 ways, right off the top of our heads. We’ll divide our suggestions into four areas: Cleanliness, Diet, Environment, and Lifestyle.
Synchronicity
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