Grab The Scruff To Stop Dog Behavior Problems?

Hyper Sparky has some dog behavior problems. Now he's about to rush out an open door toward the busy road. Act fast!

Important! - Grab him by the scruff of the neck to remove or correct him.

Never grab a dog by the collar. Even an excited puppy can accidentally nip your hand if it's on the collar instead of the scruff. Any startled or angry dog would!

The scruff makes it impossible for the dog to whip around. It's also a natural touch from "mom" saying "we're going somewhere."

Just imagine if you were going to break up a serious dog fight. The dog bite would be worse on us than it would be on the other dog. They have fur for protection, and we do not.

Please remember this rule!

Rena Murray
Dog Whisper Woman

Dog Feeding - Are There Rules To Do Dog Feeding Right?

Feeding time is a very serious mental activity for dogs, as well as a physically restoring, energy-producing time.

Yes, it is very important to feed your dog every day... but the WAY you feed him matters. When you feed a dog, you are feeding energy to him ... so he needs to be in a calmer state before you start. You don't need to be feeding energy to a dog who is in an aggressive state.

Having a dog training business, my dog constantly has to adjust to new dogs coming and going. And everybody has to learn consistent rules. Sometimes I get separate dishes for everyone, and sometimes I have them all share the same dish. But no matter which way it is, nobody touches the food until I say so.

Food and mating rights are the two things that cause a dog fight more than anything else in dog packs.

It's also important for dogs to eat together. Dog packs do.

Separation is often the chosen solution for owners who don't know what else to do with a dog aggression problem beyond their control. But it's not an answer. It only increases the problem to keep an animal separated at dog feeding time.

So... YES ... Feed your dog!

Male Dog and Female Dog - Can there be a Dog Fight?

Ever hear the old myth that a female dog will never fight a male dog? What's the truth?

If she is a dominant female dog and you bring a dominant male dog onto her territory, there can be a dog fight. It doesn't have to be just different sexes for two dogs to get along. They have to be different personalities, too.

A second instance in which a female dog will fight with a male is when a female-male pair are mates and an intruding male comes on the scene. If the intruder combats the mated male for dog dominance, that is normal in the wild and the female dog will stay out of it.

However, if the intruder grabs her mate in a death struggle, then she will grab the attacking intruder by the jugular vein and will not let go until he is dead. Her mate will slash the intruder's belly open as she holds him. Quite savage but effective.

Learn more about Dog Dominance Behavior - Dog Articles by Rena Murray .

Newcomer? - Avoid Dog Fight!

The best way to introduce a dog who is anti-social?

You see, in a pack of dogs, when a newcomer comes in, there is always one of them who is interested in the newcomer and wants to help him along. (I specifically mean packs of three or more.)

Let that dog meet the newcome first, and make him more at home. Give them a few minutes to relax with each other before bringing in the rest of the pack.

This way nobody is overwhelmed. On one feels threatened. Everyone has a while to adjust.

Obviously, walking the pack together is a good idea BEFORE you bring the newcomer inside the territory.

This avoids dog fight and helps integrate the newcomer into the pack.

Dog Aggression:Can These Dogs Get Along?

Is it possible to make two dogs who hate each other get along without a dog fight? What do you do about intense Dog Aggression toward another dog?

Absolutely!

... But not if you go in there with the attitude that you are asking them to do so.

You have to go in there like a Leader who expects his pack to behave like a pack.

How?

Start walking the dogs together and making them smell each other through the fence. Make them lie down and give each other their backs.

Right now I have a client with this problem to the extreme. Two of her dogs were extrememly intent upon going after each other. Both the Pit Bull and the Korean Jindo were "starters," not peacemakers.

So they were both made to surrender their backs to each other, to lie down beside each other, and to smell one another. Then we took them on a 45 minute walk without allowing them to look at each other.

It worked. Now the owners can walk them together for the first time ever!

Of course, when you have dogs, you will always want them to get along. But when they don't, you have to step forward and do what needs to be done.