Joann Henry asked:


Puppies are adorable and loved additions to any family, but these cute, furry companions also come with all sorts of natural habits that may be quite a nuisance for a typical household.

Dogs are naturally primitive creatures. Thankfully, they adapt easily and can be trained with little effort, making it possible to share our homes with our favorite four-legged friends and still maintain our standards of order and cleanliness. Teaching your puppy to behave properly is a huge responsibility and may seem much more daunting than it should be.

With a little patience and a few simple, proven training methods, you can put an end to most of your puppy’s bad habits by redirecting his natural instincts to something more appropriate.

Nipping

Nipping is quite common and normal among puppies, especially when you and your puppy are playing and gets overly excited. This ordinary puppy instinct is seemingly harmless, but will soon become more dangerous and painful as your puppy grows. Teach your puppy early to never touch your skin, or anyone else’s, with his teeth, and he will be much less likely to bite later in life.

The best way to train your puppy to stop nipping is to direct his urges away from your hands with puppy toys. Your puppy needs a variety of toys that will be fun to play with and satisfy his desire to nip. Soft, plush toys are a good choice, especially those with bright colors, and rubber dog toys invite puppies to chew and bite.

Start training your puppy the very first time you play with him and every time thereafter. Puppies as young as eight weeks old can be trained with little effort. If your puppy starts to bite as you play, always respond with “ouch” and stop your playtime for about 10 seconds. If your puppy continues nipping when you resume your play, get up and leave the room for a moment.

Leaving your puppy alone each time he bites will help him realize that the action ends his playtime. Soon, he will stop the habit so he can continue to enjoy playing with you. You may want to start training your puppy each time he bites hard and slowly work toward ending the habit altogether.

Chewing

Much like infants, puppies teethe at some point in their development and during this time, they enjoy chewing because it soothes their sore, tender gums. Unfortunately for dog owners, this natural chewing usually destroys a number of possessions, including shoes, newspapers, and even furniture. You may not be able to stop your puppy’s need to chew and soothe his pain, but you can help him focus his chewing on more constructive materials.

To train your puppy to stop chewing on household items, provide him with a variety of chew toys. Be sure your puppy always has a chew toy available wherever you go. For best results, limit your puppy to a small section of the house and have plenty of toys nearby. Surrounding your puppy with as little furniture and other tempting items as possible will make your efforts much easier.

If your puppy chews on something he shouldn’t, firmly say “no” and place his chew toy in front of him. Always praise your puppy when he chooses his toy over your belongings.

Dove Cresswells Dog Training

Anna Hart asked:



Places such as “Labrador Retriever Rescue and Adoption” have pure and mixed-breed Labrador Retriever puppies. When we went looking online briefly, we found Labrador Retriever puppies for adoption that were 9 weeks old and 12 weeks old.

In a “Yahoo Pets” classified ad, we saw 10 beautiful little Labrador Retriever puppies for adoption in Colorado. The Hoobly classified website had 3 Labrador Retriever puppies for adoption in Idaho.

Labrador Retriever puppies for adoption are also available at Humane Society and independent animal shelters.

Who Would Adopt Labrador Retriever Puppies

You might adopt Labrador Retriever puppies if:

1. your budget does not allow an investment of $400 to $1500 for a puppy

2. you have compassion on unwanted puppies

Many people have big, caring hearts. They know the Labrador Retriever puppies at the breeder, with their fancy papers, will find homes. Life is not as certain for rescue puppies. They have been given up for adoption because the owners would not or could not care for more dogs.

Disadvantages of Labrador Retriever Puppies for Adoption

Labrador Retriever puppies that have been given up for adoption may have hidden problems. You will not know about the temperament of the parents. Nor will you know whether either parent has health problems that will be inherited by the puppies. If you find Labrador Retriever puppies in an animal shelter, chances are good that the staff knows little about them.

Labrador Retriever puppies in a shelter often lack bonding opportunities. People come and people go, but no one has time to teach the puppy how to get along with human companions.

You risk getting a puppy that has learned to bark loudly for attention – in a room of loudly barking dogs. Labrador Retriever puppies from shelters will take more than a few days of adjustment to un-learn some bad habits.

Some of these disadvantages are overcome if you get Labrador Retriever puppies through a rescue network. Most networks place their adoptive puppies in foster homes. This avoids many of the animal shelter problems.

Some rescue networks are also able to find out more about the puppies’ background. The foster “parents” can evaluate the puppies’ temperaments and health. They can begin basic training and socialize the puppies. They can make sure the puppies get a good start in life while they wait for their permanent homes.

Advantages of Labrador Retriever Puppies for Adoption

The advantages of getting Labrador Retriever puppies that are available for adoption may outweigh the disadvantages for you – especially if you can get the puppies through a rescue network.

1. You are giving a good home to Labrador Retriever puppies that might otherwise not have one.

2. You are gaining loving, faithful companions, who will do anything to please you, as long as you teach them what that is.

3. You are paying only a small adoption fee (or getting them free). Yet your Labrador Retriever puppies will be every bit as loving as those costing hundreds of dollars.

Helpful Tip

You can find Labrador Retriever puppies for adoption on the Internet. Simply type the phrase “Labrador Retriever rescue” into your search engine. Locally, watch newspaper classified ads or visit your animal shelter.

By: Anna Hart

Dog Food Secrets!

Keith Gilbert asked:


Bringing a puppy home for the first time is an exciting time and an exciting feeling, isn’t it? The puppy that you hold in your hands will give you and your family much joy in the coming years. But at the beginning, it won’t be easy because of the bad habits you’ll have to get your puppy out of – like biting and mouthing.

You’ll probably soon notice that a puppy loves to nip and mouth you when you’re playing with it. This isn’t an unnatural activity; dogs sometimes mouth and playfully nip other dogs when playing with each other. Your puppy will probably do that same to you. But since you don’t have thick dog skin, this can be a painful, bad habit for your puppy that you will have to train it out of!

It is critical that you train your puppy out of the bad biting habits early. While it might be cute for a young puppy to nibble on your hand, it won’t be when he grows into an adult dog and can bite hard! Puppies usually learn to watch their biting with their mother and littermates. But since your puppy has been taken away from its mother and littermates, it’s up to you to teach it this important lesson!

Even though your puppy doesn’t have its mother and littermates to learn from, you can still teach it to inhibit its bite by having it play with other dogs. If you allow your puppy to socialize, roll, and tumble with other puppies and well-trained, older dogs, your puppy will be taught by the other dogs how much biting and nipping is too much.

It’s a good idea to let your puppy socialize with other dogs anyway. Through exposure with other dogs, your puppy will learn not to be aggressive or fearful of other dogs. Plus, playing with other dogs will work off a lot of your puppy’s energy and save you some work! If you don’t give your puppy enough socialization, it can turn into a more destructive, hyperactive dog.

Don’t wait too long to socialize your puppy and expose it to other dogs and the “real world.” The best time for training puppies is usually when they are very young – four months or younger.

An important way to prevent your puppy from getting in the habit of biting you is to gain its respect and trust. Respect and trust from your dog is the foundation of dog training and behavior correction.

Obviously, this means that you should never hit or slap your puppy. Physical punishment is the easiest way to break down the trust and respect your puppy had for you. Hitting your dog will only scare and confuse your dog.

Training your puppy to not bite people and other dogs is one of the most important components of a dog training system. If you don’t train your puppy not to bite, the problem will only get worse, not better, as time goes on, and can be a dangerous problem when your puppy grows into an adult dog.

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q&aG!RL asked:


My 6 month AB/Lab mix LOVES going to the dog park. We take her a couple times a week. But my husband wants to take her more often, I’m personally afraid she will pick up bad habits.

I have heard other dog owners say that their dog has become defensive or aggressive after incidents at a dog park. She has such a sweet and mild tempermant now and I worry she will change having too much interaction with some of these dogs. What do you think?