When we adopted our Bella we were just too excited to think about possible bad dog behavior. Instead we dreamed about long companionship and our perfect dog. However, things didn’t go that way and very soon we realized that we were having an issue. Big Issue!

Our dog was barking like insane, whining, jumping on our visitors, stealing food from the table…you name it. Our neighbor was upset that he couldn’t have a healthy night sleep and we, as ashamed and embarrassed as we were, tried even to avoid him.

How To Deal With Bad Dog Behavior?

We did some research and found out that we might have inadvertently reinforced bad dog behavior. This is what happened. Bella would bark and at the beginning we would ignore it. But she was very persistent and sooner or later we would give in and pay full attention to her and play with her or pet her.

What we didn’t realize at that time is that by doing so we did reinforce this type of behavior and our dog learned that if she barks long enough she would get her way. Does this sound like a stupid dog? Not at all. She is very smart and she learned very quickly how to be in charge or how they call it she was a pack leader.

Do not get me wrong, she loves us extremely, but it doesn’t stop her from embarrassing us every time we have visitors. The idea of returning Bella to dog shelter did cross our mind but deep down in our mind we knew that all she wants is to be a good citizen and we needed to find a way to help her out.

We researched the topic and found out that dog shock collars were really good and we bought one but after a while we couldn’t bear the idea that this collar is hurting her so we than learned about dog citronella collars. That was exactly what we were looking for. Safe, humane, and very effective way to stop unwanted dog behavior. And to top it off it was twice as effective as a dog shock collar according to the study conducted at Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where it was found that dog citronella collar was 88% effective at stopping or reducing excessive dog barking, while dog shock collar was 44% effective at stopping or reducing dog barking.

By: Lejla Zukic

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Heart worms, technically known as Dirofilaria immitis, are small parasites that often infect their host through a mosquito bite and then spread from one animal to another. All sorts of animals can get heartworms, including common pets like dogs, cats, and ferrets. Several wild animals, like coyotes, wolves, and even sea lions, are affected by heartworms and sometimes people can become infected by the parasites as well. It is important to protect your dog from canine heartworm infection.

The small parasite is placed into a host animal’s bloodstream through a single mosquito bite. After being bitten, the worm will grow inside the host for almost seven months before becoming an adult. Heartworms gained their name because once they mature, they infect the heart of the host animal, living there for years until they are either removed by extensive medical treatments or cause heart failure and kill the host.

Heart worms are quite common among dogs, especially in the United States. This sometimes fatal disease was discovered in 1856 and it was found that the parasites live primarily in the animal’s major blood vessels and, finally, within the heart. Canine heartworms, if left untreated, can cause serious problems in the heart’s process and can block the flow of blood through the animal’s blood vessels. Weight loss, vision complications, respiratory problems, chronic coughing, heart failure, and, finally, death are also associated with heartworm infections.

Heart worms affect different dogs in various ways and in many dogs, symptoms of the infection are not apparent until the disease is almost impossible to cure. It is very important to catch a canine heartworm infection early on or, better yet, to protect your dog from becoming infected with a monthly precautionary treatment recommended by your veterinarian.

Your vet will first perform a simple blood test on your dog to see if any heartworm parasites have already taken residence. If the test shows positive results, your dog will have to go through a long, often painful, treatment to get rid of the heartworms. Canine heartworm treatment can sometimes include surgical procedures as well. If the test returns negative results and your dog is free of heartworms, the monthly preventive treatments can be administered.

Early Symptoms

There are several warning signs that your dog may have contracted canine heartworms. Contacting your vet about any of the following symptoms as soon as they are noticed could save your dog’s life.

Unusual tiredness that can not be explained

Frequent coughing that is unusual

Hunting dogs that often fall behind or drop out completely from tiredness

Unusual panting for no apparent reason

Rare symptoms include jaundice, complications with vision, and convulsions

Sudden, unexplained weight loss is a symptom that often occurs shortly before the dog dies from canine heartworms

What Breeds are Affected by Canine Heart Worms?

It was once believed that short-haired breeds were more easily infected by heartworms. The reasoning behind this was because the parasite bearing mosquitoes that infect the dog have a very hard time biting a long-haired dog through the extra hair.

It was later discovered that mosquitoes actually bite canines in the stomach area where the hair is fine. With this knowledge, it is now known that all types of dogs are susceptible to the canine heartworm disease. It is also common for dogs to suffer from mosquito bites on their ears or their mouth and nose because these areas typically have little hair as well.

How Are Canine Heart Worms Treated?

When a canine heartworm infection is noticed early, a series of chemical treatments can be used to treat the disease. These treatments are administered over an extended period so the worms are killed slowly, rather than all at once. The dead heartworms remain in the dog’s body and usually take several weeks to be absorbed. Too many of these carcasses can create serious, often deadly, complications. Any type of chemical therapy can be dangerous to your dog as well if it is not handled by a professionally licensed veterinarian. Always allow your vet to perform these procedures and follow his instructions closely.

Surgery is sometimes a practical remedy for a dog infected with canine heartworms. Talk with your vet about the various options available for curing your dog and decide on the one you are most comfortable with.

Canine Heart Worm Recovery and Prevention

After a chemical heartworm treatment, it is very important for your dog to take it easy and not become overexerted. Too much activity can cause the dead heartworms to fall into the lungs, resulting in breathing difficulties and most often death. Keep your dog comfortable and relaxed for several weeks to allow the dead worms to be absorbed.

It was once recommended that dogs recovering from canine heartworm infections be given aspirin to speed the healing process and lessen damage to the heart. The American Heartworm Society now urges dog owners to refrain from using aspirin during recovery. It could cause adverse reactions to the chemicals and there is no proven medical evidence of the benefits of aspirin for heartworm recovery.

Canine heartworm prevention medications are a great way to protect your dog from heartworms. These treatments don’t stop the infection.

Rather, the drug produces a chemical that affects the heartworm parasite early, preventing the worms from becoming adults and killing them before they infect the heart. Heartworm prevention treatments are over 99 percent effective when used correctly. Most of the cases of failure were due to irregular usage.

Treatments that prevent canine heartworms are given each month during mosquito season, beginning as soon as mosquitoes start to appear. The treatments should be continued until a month after mosquito season is over for the best results. Dogs living in warm, moist climates, especially near the Gulf Coast or tropical areas, should be given the treatments year round because mosquitoes are common in every season.

These preventive canine heartworm medications can cause severe, often fatal, complications if your dog is already infected with the parasite. For this reason, it is very important for your dog’s safety that you consult with a veterinarian before starting any sort of heartworm treatments. Regular blood tests, along with an appropriate preventive treatment, can protect your dog from the dangers posed by canine heartworms.

Your veterinarian can provide the most assistance in keeping your dog free of heartworms. It is often hard to notice the symptoms of canine heartworm infection until it has caused serious problems. Scheduling regular blood work for your dog can help you catch these parasites before it is too late. Ask your vet about the best type of heartworm prevention treatments for your dog as well.

A final point to remember if you want to prevent canine heartworms from plaguing your dog is to do your best to protect him from the heartworm parasite carriers, mosquitoes. It is especially important to take precautionary measures during warm seasons when mosquitoes are prevalent and in areas with a large number of mosquitoes.

Canine heartworms are often difficult to detect, especially in the early stages, so even though your dog appears healthy and sound, he could still be infected. Have your dog checked regularly by your vet.

By: Ken Mathie

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We often refer to dogs and puppies that jump up on us as jumping up. It is a bad behaviour that is often encouraged when our dogs are little puppies but is a nuisance when they are older and much bigger. If you are going to fix this problem then every member of your family and all your friends have to help stop the jumping up and not allow it to happen at all.

Why do puppies jump up?

Puppies jump up because it is a normal behaviour for them. They do it to their parents, other dogs and their brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, young puppies do not see the difference between people and other dogs and treat us all the same way. They jump up, mouth and nip at us just like they would another dog. If this is not bad enough, we often encourage puppies to jump up when we make a fuss of them. By calling a puppy to you in a high voice and patting your legs you are saying to your puppy, “Jump on me, let’s have fun”. This might be ok when your puppy is very small but as it grows, jumping up can cause harm to people and dirty paws can ruin good clothes. At no time, should you call your puppy to you and reward and encourage him to jump up on you.

Start training your puppy not to jump up from the first day

As soon as you bring your new puppy home, begin teaching him to sit. He must learn that he will receive lots of attention, pats and even treats when he is sitting. You need to work really hard on this because your puppy must know what to do to get lots of attention and rewards. If your puppy begins to jump up, hook your fingers into his collar and hold him down. He will not understand what you are doing at first, so you have to show him that when he is sitting he will get lots of attention. By holding him down, he will soon realise that he only gets rewards when he is sitting or has ‘four on the floor’ (four feet that is!!). As soon as your puppy goes to jump, let go and turn your back on him. Tell him ‘no’ in a stern voice and either re-command him into a sit or hold his collar and then give him lots of attention and even some treats.

My puppy is becoming a problem jumper

If your puppy is too excited and won’t sit for you then you will have to use a deterrent to stop him from jumping up. There are many things that you can use, but remember that any attention is good attention so if you yell or push him down, he will only see this as a positive and continue to jump on you. This is particularly true of children who have higher pitched voices and move more erratically than adults. To a young pup, children are more exciting and fun than adults. One of the best methods is to open a full newspaper very quickly over your puppy just as he begins to jump. It will make a terrible crack and will alarm your puppy. Timing is very important in dog training, and especially when correcting bad behaviour. You must have the paper ready and pull it open just as his front legs leave the ground.

This method works best when two people are working with the puppy. One person should have the puppy on a leash and the other should approach the puppy with the newspaper already to be opened quickly. The puppy should be commanded into a sit before the second person approaches to give him the opportunity to correct his behaviour himself. If he does jump up, the second person should open the newspaper very quickly and say ‘no’ in a loud gruff voice. Once your puppy has stopped jumping, put him into a sit and pat and reward him for doing the right thing. Use a gentle voice but not too high because this will only encourage him to jump more. Don’t pat your puppy around the head; this will only encourage him to jump again. Give him long firm pats down his back. This will make him feel more comfortable and relaxed.

You can also use a water spray bottle to discourage your puppy from jumping up. You will have to redirect him into a sit where he can be rewarded. If you have a water loving dog, try half water and half white vinegar. You will have to have your spray water bottle on hand at all times. If this is difficult, set up a training session with the help of another person who can hold the puppy on leash. Walk up to him and when he goes to jump, spray him and say ‘no’ in a loud gruff voice. Command him into a sit and reward him with pats and treats. As soon as he goes to jump again, take your hands away and say ‘no’ again and give him another squirt. Timing is essential with all training. Your puppy needs to learn that as soon as he lifts his feet off the ground, he is going to get punished.

Remember: always give your puppy the opportunity to correct his behaviour and do the right thing. It is up to you to teach him what is acceptable and what is not. Reward acceptable behaviour; discourage unacceptable behaviour by using loud unpleasant noises, withdrawal of attention or treats or leaving your puppy on its own. Never hit or strike your puppy; you will only be teaching him that violence is an acceptable behaviour in your pack and he may use it on other pack members or friends including children.

By: Sue Day

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Bad dog behavior can include actions such as excessive or aggressive barking, biting, chewing furniture, or even going potty on the floor. In order to stop bad dog behavior, you will need to train your dog at the earliest possible time. The sooner you begin to train your dog, the better the result you will have.

One of the keys to getting rid of aggressive or just plain annoying puppy actions is consistency. You must be consistent when training your dog. If you allow your dog to get away with terrible behavior once only to scold her the next time, she will only be confused by your actions. You must treat your dog the same exact way in every instance of misbehavior.

Treats are another key to dog training. Every good doggie deserves a treat and you should start by finding one that your dog really likes. Rewarding your dog’s good behavior is just as important as scolding his bad behavior. Whenever your dog obeys a command, give him a treat. He will learn quickly that doing what you tell him is in his best interest.

One common problem with new puppies especially is getting them house broken. House breaking a puppy is never easy, but with the proper plan, consistency and a pocketful of treats, you can get the job done. You have to be patient with any kind of dog training, including house breaking, so be sure that you have plenty time to spend with your dog before you begin a training program.

By: Jennifer Brister

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