The Dog Site

During my routine early walk in the morning with my dog, we came across a dog running loose. On most occasions this would not be a big deal. Because I have lots of experience recognizing aggressive body language in dogs, I could tell from a distance that something about this dog was wrong. The approaching dog definitely looked like he could pose a problem to us. He was heading for us with a serious look and body language that was anything but friendly. The approaching dog wasn’t barking, but just by looking at his intense body language, I could see this wasn’t going to be a friendly visit. Because I was forewarned, I had a chance to change directions to avoid having to a problem with that dog.

Your ability to recognize the body language of aggressive dogs will help you in being able to avoid the possibility of a  dog fight from happening. When dogs first meet, you’ll notice that they quickly sort out who is the dominant dog and who is the submissive one.  If one of the two dogs remains submissive when they meet, there should be no reason that a dog fight will occur.

Here are some ways to learn how to recognize aggressive body language in dogs so you can hopefully avoid encounters that could lead to a dog fight. If you can detect the signs of an aggressive dog, you can take action to avoid a bad encounter from taking place. That may be as simple as  calming and controlling your own pet, or finding a way to avoid a close encounter with the other dog by leaving the area.

• We have all witnessed the body language of aggressive dogs many times. If is common to see the more dominant of the two dogs putting his head above the other dogs, and maybe jumping up to place his paws and forearms over the second dog’s shoulder area. Sometimes the dog that is most dominant may try to mount the other dog to prove his point (not because he is looking for a good time).  These are just some of the signs of dominance and can lead to problems if the second dog does not submit .

• Once the dominance display turns into active growling and the snapping of teeth, it is only a short jump to an actual dog fight. You need to  avoid ever letting an aggressive dog have a chance to get close enough to you to start a fight.

• Another of the ways an aggressive dog  can be recognized is by noticing the strong tension in his body posture-his tail will not be wagging like it should be on a happy dog, and his eyes will be staring straight at his target, while the ears may be held back. His tail will be up but not wagging and his ears will be back. Even from a distance you can easily tell this dog is not a happy camper.

• When a dog puts its hackles up (raises the hair on his back) if is a form of aggressive body language visible even at quite a distance. For instance the aggressive dog I ran into this morning had his hackles up even before he got close to where we were walking.

When you think about it, you can see that you have observed aggressive body language lots of times, even if you didn’t always recognize what it meant. You can now spot aggressive behavior and you are also aware of the danger that this aggression can lead to, so  be pro-active in keeping your dog from getting into a fight.

With my own aggressive dogs, until I finally got serious and trained them better, I could  never take them out in public without a leash on them for fear of one of my dogs starting a fight. Of course if your dog is aggressive too, you must be responsible for his control when you have him out with you in public.

By recognizing and understanding what the aggressive postures mean, you can take steps to avoid possible problems before they happen. Use your ability to spot an incoming aggressive dog’s body language to ensure that it doesn’t get a chance to come into contact with your dog. Just veer off the course that will bring you into contact with the problem dog, and avoid the two dogs coming into contact with each other. If the aggression problem is with your own dog, you can solve that problem by paying a lot of attention to his training (especially training dealing with aggression) so that your dog really obey your commands. After he has learned to pay attention and listen to you as the boss, you can control your dog’s aggressive instincts.

If you want to learn to train your dog at home, I recommend strongly that you check out my review of  the very best dog training program. Using these tips and positive reinforcement techniques, training my own dogs is much easier and effective than it used to be.

For more free helpful advice for dog obedience training and solving your dog’s behavior problems, please click here to visit www.BehaveDoggy.com.

What To Look For In A Dog Day Care Boarding Facility

Whenever dog owners plan on going on a vacation and cannot take their pets along with them or even if they can take their pets along with them they will still need to look for dog day care boarding facilities. Of course, the alternative to dog day care boarding is that you can also hire reliable people to visit your home a few times in the day to look after your dog and take care of feeding him, providing him with water as well as exercise and spend some time with your dog.

Kennels: Are They Good Dog Day Care Boarding Facility?

The only trouble is that it is not easy to find a reliable person and so it is better to look for dog day care boarding. There are numerous kennels that handle dog day care boarding and these are good places to look for in case you need to send your dog somewhere safe for their overnight stay. The price of the dog day care boarding varies depending on the facilities.

Before selecting a place for your dog day care boarding you need to address a few issues including meeting the staff and assessing how well you hit it off with them and in addition you also need to see the condition of dogs that are already there. You need to also ensure that the place that you plan on sending your dog for dog day care boarding is clean – both on the inside and outside and it should also be a place that is safe to leave your dogs for overnight stay.

There should therefore not be any foul odors and you really should only choose a dog day care boarding facility where there is absolutely no smell of the doggy-do and in addition the temperature should be neither too cold nor too hot and ventilation should be of good standards. It would be foolish to leave your dog where the air stagnates and the pens that hold your pets need to also be very spacious and large enough to accommodate him.

Other aspects of dog day care boarding include ensuring that there are plenty of clean running areas and there should also be certain amount of shade and the place should also be properly lit. Pet’s bed,blanket and his favorite toys can also be brought. Last but not least, ensure that you do not allow you to be too stressed when you drop your dog off at his dog day care boarding facility because the dog will sense it and become fretful.

Dog health care is the most important consideration that every dog owner must address with great seriousness. You need to ensure doing simple things that will ensure your dog’s health including using the right grooming techniques and learning how to prevent your dog from falling prey to worms.

The sweet and likable Miniature Schnauzer is often considered a delight to be around. He’s generally friendly and pleasant and makes a good pet for many kinds of households.

General Appearance and Description

It’s believed that the Miniature Schnauzer is a result of a cross between the Standard Schnauzer and the Affenpinscher, with perhaps a Poodle included in the mix somewhere. He is likely of German descent, because “schnauze” is German for muzzle.

Mini Schnauzers are intelligent and sweet dogs that are loyal and dependable companions.

Miniature Schnauzers are small dogs that have both a bushy beard and mustache. Thier eyebrows are also quite prominent. In fact, Schnauzers are often groomed so that their beard and mustache are accentuated.

The coat is long and silky with a slight curl to it. Schnauzers are most commonly salt and pepper colored, but they can also be black, all white, or black and silver with a soft colored undercoat.

Basic Temperament

The Schnauzer is a perky and happy playmate. He’s smart, energetic and obedient. If you think of your pets as like children, the Schnauzer is a good fit for you. He’s much like a child, because he’s playful, alert and happy and always in the game.

The Miniature Schnauzer is truly a very special breed.

If you enjoy traveling, obedience training and bringing a dog into the home that will truly be a companion, the Schnauzer again fits the role.

While he’s a good companion and enjoyable dog to have around, the Schnauzer has one major behavioral challenge. That is his desire to be a big dog. He can be very aggressive toward other dogs and will even challenge bigger dogs to a fight. If you, the owner, don’t establish yourself as the leader of the pack your dog can develop some aggressive tendencies. Socialize him well as a puppy, too, and you likely won’t see any of these troubling characteristics.

Mini Schnauzers can bark often and loudly, but the bark is nothing like a small dog bark and that’s high pitched and yappy sounding. Instead, the Schnauzer has a bark that belies his size. His is low and more intimidating. This can help him when he’s asked to be a watchdog, a role he will happily step into.

Care Required

The Schnauzer’s wiry coat is easy to care for, but it must be combed daily with a wire brush, or the coat will become matted fairly quickly. If your mini schnauzer does get knots, you can simply trim them out.

As far as grooming, the Schnauzer should be clipped evenly all over. Leave this job for the experts, though you can give him touch ups as needed.

Many people acquire Miniature Schnauzer puppies because they have allergies. This dog isn’t considered hypoallergenic, but sheds very little and is considered an excellent choice for people with allergies.

When looking at learning more about Schnauzer Grooming, read and learn as much as you can because the because this is a wonderful dog breed.

Exercise Requirements

If you live in an apartment, the Miniature Schnauzer will enjoy living in your small space, but he does like to play indoors he will need plenty of toys to keep him happy, busy and out of trouble. He will do fine without a yard in which to run around.

But you must give your energetic Schnauzer a good walk on a daily basis. He will enjoy walking quickly as if you have a mission and will also enjoy any time you can give him off leash to play.

Training

If you buy a Miniature Schnauzer, be prepared to socialize him often, to train him well and to be patient with him. While he’s highly intelligent and takes to training well, he also has a strong will and will need you to be patient with him. When trained, however, he can be a joy.

The Schnauzers are usually not difficult to housetrain.

Height and Weight

The adult Miniature Schnauzer will be about 12 to 14 inches tall and weigh between 10 and 15 pounds.

Health and Longevity

Like many small dogs, the Miniature Schnauzer is generally a healthy dog. Some Schnauzers will have some problems, however, ranging from liver disease and kidney stones to skin disorders. They are also at risk of developing von Willebrand’s disease, a common blood disorder in dogs. Some will have eye problems.

More common for your Miniature Schnauzer is the risk of weight gain. Be careful how much you feed him, because even with his high activity level, he can gain weight easily.

Most Schnauzers can live to be approximately15 years old.

Suitability

Schnauzers are ideal for many different households. They love children and do well with seniors. They are also excellent dogs to have on the farm as they are experts at killing mice and at hunting, tracking, performing tricks and acting as guard dogs.

More Information

More information about the Miniature Schnauzer can be found here.