Tag Archives: dog behavior

Don’t Pat My Head!

In a moment that bordered on the surreal this morning, I heard a public service announcement on the radio at work featuring John Tesh talking about how dogs don’t like to be patted on the head. Odd indeed. But he’s right — most dogs aren’t fans of being patted on the top of the head. There will always be some exceptions to any rule, but there are lots of other “safe” places to pet a dog. My dog Miko absolutely hated being patted on the top of the head. He also really didn’t like one particular friend of mine, and … Continue reading →

Is Your Pet Too Trusting?

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When I got home from work at the cats-only boarding facility yesterday, my neighbor’s cat Copper came out to greet me. Copper has always been a very friendly cat, coming up to say hello and get some scratches almost every time he sees me. Yesterday, Copper was REALLY happy to see me. I think more because it was raining than because he missed me! He followed me to my door and looked like he was ready to come inside — which I knew would be a disaster with two barking machines named Lally and Moose on the other side. I … Continue reading →

Organic Training

I call it “organic training” — those tricks your pets learn without much effort on your part. You don’t have to practice; they just happen. Moose — my shepherd mix — is great with organic training. I’ll be the first to say that he isn’t the world’s smartest dog. When I first brought him home to foster, he didn’t answer to his name (Coyote)! When I accidentally found a name that he would respond to (Moose), we stuck with that. He learns well by example. Lally already knew how to sit when Moose joined the family. By watching her, he … Continue reading →

Decoding Different Barks

Researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary are using computers to help decode and translate different dog barks. The study began with recording the barks from fourteen different Hungarian sheepdogs. Barking was recorded in six different situations: When a stranger approached the house when the owner was away and the dog was home alone. When a trainer encouraged the dog to bite on protective gear and bark aggressively (think of police dog training). When an owner was preparing to take the dog for a walk. When an owner was holding a ball in front of the dog. When an owner … Continue reading →

Teach Your Dog to Leave It: Other Animals

“Leave it” is a very useful command. It can help protect your dog from eating something unhealthy, poisonous, or just plain gross. It can also help prevent an unpleasant encounter between your dog and a strange dog (or other animal). The goal here is to get your dog to focus on YOU, rather than the thing that he wants to chase or investigate. Enlist the help of a friend who has a dog that your dog is familiar with. Friend and dog should walk on the opposite side of the street. (Pick a quiet, low traffic neighborhood if you can.) … Continue reading →

Teach Your Dog to Leave It

Leave it is an amazingly useful and versatile command — it can save your dog from eating something dangerous or instigating a fight with another dog or chasing your cat. Here’s one way to teach your dog to leave an object/treat: Find some treats your dog can’t resist. Keep all but one out of sight. (The one is for training; the rest are for rewards.) Place that one treat on the floor or on a low table that your dog can reach. Your dog will almost definitely pay attention if the treat is good enough! As you set the treat … Continue reading →

Spring is the Season of Green… Barf

I think my dogs Moose and Lally are jealous. With spending so much time interviewing writer friends lately, I haven’t been talking about them as much. Somebody’s jealous. Somebody came up with a GREAT way to get featured in a blog: barf a mysterious green liquid in the living room while I was in the shower. I always know something is up if one or both of the dogs is in the bathroom with me when I’m done in the shower. Usually, they avoid it like the plague. Running water? Soap? That could mean a dreaded bath! Today, Lally greeted … Continue reading →

Working with a Dog with a High Prey Drive

One of the main obstacles to cats and dogs living together in harmony is the dog’s prey drive. Basically, that’s the instinctive urge to chase things. Especially moving things. After all, wild dogs need to be good hunters in order to survive. Our domesticated pups still have that instinct. Training will be your greatest asset if your dog(s) and cat(s) don’t get along. Basics you’ll want your dog to know are: Sit (sit down on command) Stay (stay in one place until you allow them to get up) Leave it/Release (give up the thing they’re after — be it a … Continue reading →

Murph’s Progress with the PoochIQ Test

Yesterday morning Murph and I put the PoochIQ.com dog IQ test kit I received to the test. Part of it anyway. We haven’t completed the whole test yet, but we’re having a lot of fun working our way through it. So often the word “test” invokes dread and a dragging of the feet, doesn’t it? But not in this case. The “tests” are fun. More like games for your dog if you approach it with a spirit of fun, enthusiasm, and playfulness instead of a purely clinical air. Murph and I certainly had fun for the seven questions we completed. … Continue reading →

Teaching Cats and Dogs to Live Together

It may not be easy to teach your dog and cat to live together peacefully. The difficulty will lie largely in your dog’s prey drive. Your pets’ personalities can make things go quickly or slowly. Cats tend to be independent — much more so than dogs. Most cats aren’t going to obey commands, so you’ll probably have to focus on training the dog how to act around the cat. A dog wants to fit into the pack hierarchy, and obeying commands is a part of that fit. One thing you’ll find especially useful in teaching your pets to live in … Continue reading →