Understanding Your Dog's Communication
By Jane Dinunzio

Learning to read your dog's body language is pretty simple. They have limited actions and verbal noises, that once you can interpret, will make both your lives easier. You will then know when your pet is happy and when they are distressed.

Most devoted dog owners can immediately tell what their dogs are feeling by different body language signals. Most dogs have similar and repetitious signals that are generally easy for someone who understands their dog, will then help understand a friendly dog on the street, or in a dog park, from a potential enemy.

If you are not sure of what a dog is saying check out these few different examples that I have learned from my dogs, Lady and Lola.

A Happy, Friendly Tail Wagging Dog:

The tail will make wide sweeps or almost a circle movement, with the tail hanging down, and not held straight up and wagging stiffly. The ears are relaxed and fur will be smooth down the spine and shoulders. A happy tail wagging dog won't look another dog or you in the eyes, but will be busy with the task of sniffing, usually first nose to nose, then nose to butt, moving in a relaxed manner. Ask the owner if it is okay to pet their dog after the sniffing routine is finished, then offer the back of your hand to smell first before petting. I usually just stand with my fist turned towards the unknown dog at this point, staying fairly still with my arm hanging down at snout level. I allow the dog to approach me rather than sticking my fist out towards him. So far I haven't had a problem with misinterpreting this action as aggressive.

A Tail Wagging Dog that is Showing Aggression:

If you meet another dog while out with yours, or even if you are just out alone don't assume he is friendly because his tail is wagging. Although the strange dog is not growling, showing it's teeth and snapping at you, he can be dangerous. If his tail is stiff and held high, and the ears seem alert, and he stares directly into your or your dog's eyes, then you are encountering a hostile dog. The hackles are raised. - ( the fur down the spine and around the shoulders ). To prevent attack you should try to quietly remove yourself and your dog quickly, without running of course.

A Happy Playful Pup:

This is my favorite way for Lady or Lola to show me their "mood". Most people will recognize this type of dog language, even people who aren't dog people. Let's play. Your dog bows down and rests on the chest and front elbows, with the butt swinging happily up in the air. Sometimes after a short display of this, they get up, bark, run in circles, do a quick roll around, and return to the position. I can never resist this request.

A Very Unhappy Fearful Dog:

The whole body will be lowered, and tucking the tail to cover it's scent will be a good indication that your dog is afraid of something. The ears are usually laid back and tight against his head, and the fur is raised along the back and shoulders. Fear biting is sometimes a result when a dog is afraid. This is a dog you want to retreat from quietly and quickly.

A Submissive Dog:

When a dog is being submissive, it may lie on his back and expose the belly. This is not a sign of cowardice. This way the dog gives you the power of pack leader he can relax and enjoy his life of belly scratches, walks, getting a regular meal and playing. These dogs aren't looking for a fight, and are usually laid back and relaxed pets. This type of personality makes a good family member. As long as there are no other symptoms to go along with this behavior that would indicate the dog shows obsessive behavior along with this body language, or is so timid that is hides all the time and is truly a "scaredy dog". I had a sweet, sweet beagle named Susie that was so submissive and afraid of everything that it took over one year just for her to trust me enough to approach me. She stayed mostly under the bed and I was always hunting around the house for her. I rescued Susie from a horrible existence in a puppy mill, at the age of 6 months. Even with all the her quirky and difficult behavior, I loved her dearly, and patiently she learned to trust the immediate family. She was a wonderful addition to my life for 10 years, before succumbing to cancer.

Obviously these few examples above of "dog body language" are just that - a few. Dog's have many actions, expressions and stances that indicate different wants and needs. Most of these are genetically passed on from wild ancestors.

Learning to read the different variations within your dog's body language makes living together a very rewarding endeavor.

To buy dog supplies, you can visit Dog Shop Online

Four Great Tips to Prevent Your Dog From Barking
By Kim L Smith

You hear your neighbor's dog barking again and are wondering why he does not stop the dog from barking. You do not realize that your neighbor has tried everything that he can think of to stop his dog from barking. So after talking to your neighbor about the barking dog you decide to try to help him out and research the internet for tips and suggestions. Here are four tips on how to get your neighbor's dog to stop barking.

The first tip that you can give to your neighbor is to have you over more so the dog will not bark at you when you stroll out to get your newspaper in the morning. This does not mean to invite yourself over, but do it as a subtle suggestion to help the dog get used to you.

The next tip that you can do is walk over to your neighbor's house to check on the dog. The dog could be barking constantly because something is wrong or your neighbor is sick. If this is the case you would want to praise the dog for his hard work and effort at alerting you.

The third tip would be to help your neighbor out and buy some toys for the dog that your neighbor can give him. The giving of toys will help your neighbor by giving the dog something to play with instead of barking at everything.

The fourth tip would be to talk to the dog. Talking to a dog that is barking at you may sound odd, but you have to remember that a way that dogs communicate is by barking. So he could be trying to talk to you, but because he was never taught how to talk and not to mention unable to talk he will take to barking to carry out his conversation.

A barking dog can be annoying especially if it is your neighbor's dog and you live within a close enough distance that you can hear it through the walls, but you have to find out why the dog is barking. If your neighbor's dog is barking for the proper reasons then you will want to praise the dog for his efforts at alerting you to the problem. However, not all the time will the dog be barking for the proper reasons so you will want to talk to your neighbor and possibly use one or all of the tips mentioned above.

To buy dog supplies, you can visit Dog Shop Online

When Teaching Your Dog Obedience, Positive Reinforcement is a Must

Teaching dog obedience becomes a lot simpler when you understand how important positive reinforcement is. It really is the cornerstone of any kind of dog training course. But it's also important that the dog trainer has a lot of patience, because some dogs pick it up faster than others.

If your dog doesn't pick it up quickly, try not to get upset at him. He's not doing it on purpose, just to spite you. He really is trying his best.

First off, understand that dogs tend to learn by association. So in the dog's mind, if he did something and got a treat for it, he realizes that he's done a good thing. So it's important that the instant your dog does something that you want him to do, whether it be to sit, "gimme your paw", or comes to you, reward him instantly with a treat. The more times this happens to the dog, the more times he'll recognize the pattern.

You also want to keep the sessions short but try to do a few sessions a day, if you can. Also, if its possible, try to do the sessions in different environments, whether it be at home, in your yard, or when you are taking him out for a walk. But when the sessions are active, try to keep distractions away from the dog. You want to make sure you have his undivided attention.

The rewards can also come when the dog does something partially right. Eventually, he'll realize what he's not doing, and correct it.

To buy dog supplies, you can visit Dog Shop Online

Written by Craig Vic