Learn How to Reward Good Dog Behaviors and Discourage Unwanted Behaviors

Families should reward good behavior and redirect or ignore unwanted behavior. By setting clear boundaries, such as not allowing the dog on the sofa, which your whole family should reinforce, you will avoid confusing your dog.

Consistency is key

Dog training is as much about training you, the pet parent, as it is teaching your pooch. Pet parents should ensure all boundaries are reinforced with lots of rewards. Also, “capture” good behaviors, such as lying quietly at your feet, coming when called, sitting when greeting people. Positive reinforcement has been scientifically proven to be effective with quick results. Treats are a wonderful way to reward your dog for good behavior.

A great approach is to praise the dog when he does something right. For example, if you ask him to "Stay," you should praise your dog while he is remaining in that position.

The Basics

By using humane, positive, voluntary and reward-based training methods you and your dog will create a relationship of mutual respect and trust. Introduce and practice cues on a daily basis, such as “sit”, “down”, “come” and walking politely on a loose leash.

Help with bad habits

Here are some tips on how to manage and solve the most common issues. Remember, dogs don’t find these behaviors rude, these are normal dog behaviors, however we should teach them polite behaviors instead.

• Barking at visitors
  To help with welcoming visitors, and keeping your pet from barking, redirect your dog to a “sit-stay” or a "down-stay" position before answering the door. Provide the visitor with plenty of yummy treats to have ready to give to your dog while he is sitting politely, to associate a visitor with polite behavior as well as yummy treats! You can reward quiet behavior also, once the dog is quiet, even for a nanosecond, reward! Dog learns that treats are earned for quiet behavior.
  
• Jumping on guests
  Cue your dog to sit before and while greeting someone. Have plenty of yummy treats ready and reward for polite behavior. Most dogs can jump up while they are sitting. Guests should ignore the dog until the dog has all four feet on the floor or is sitting politely. If dog jumps up, guests should turn their backs and leave.
  
• Licking
  If your dog starts licking, get up and walk away when it happens or redirect to something else. Giving them a toy or treat when they stop licking you works wonders!
  
• Sitting on furniture
  There is nothing wrong with snuggling with your pet on the sofa or your favorite chair. It’s vital that all family members reinforce boundaries, so decide early on what the boundary will be and stick with it.
  
• Pushing through doors
  A dog bolting out the door can be a dangerous habit as they may dash into danger. Always put your dog’s leash on before you go to the door. Train your pup to sit and stay while you open the door. Invite them to follow you or walk outside when both of you are ready to do so!
  
• Chewing
  Provide plenty of chew approved and safe toys for your puppy or dog. If you see your dog beginning to chew your favorite shoes, redirect to an approved chew item and reward them for finding a positive solution! Chewing is a normal behavior, especially with puppies, lots of approved chew toys and 30 minutes of exercise per day will certainly help, as this provides physical and mental stimulation.
  
• Me! me! me!
  If your dog is offering “attention seeking” behaviors, ignore it. Turn your back and find something else to do until your dog offers a different behavior.
  
• Digging up the yard
  Dogs love getting their paws in the dirt to bury food or make a cool place to lie in the summer. If it’s a problem, try set aside a “digging allowed” area. If possible, designate a small area and encourage them to dig there. If this is not possible, be sure to supervise your dog's outings in the yard and distract them from digging with approved toys and activities. Taking your dog for a 30 minute walk will help burn off some of the energy they are expending on digging in the yard.
  
• Aggression
  Aggression is not common in most dogs. If your dog lunges, snaps or bites another dog or person, you should seek help from a veterinary behaviorist. Only veterinarians, which are board certified in animal behaviors, should address aggression issues.
  
• Fear not
  A socialized and trained dog is unlikely to be fearful in most situations. Even so, any dog can become afraid in new or strange situations. If your dog is so fearful that they will not take a treat or become aggressive, you should consult a veterinary behaviorist.
  
• Meeting other dogs
  Dog should never meet on leash, as your dog’s body language may be hindered which causes confusion between both dogs. Instead, if you have a puppy, find a supervised puppy playtime session to attend, or take your dog to a dog park where they can be off leash and meet other polite dogs. If you run into someone on the sidewalk with their dog, you should both ask your dogs to sit before politely introducing yourself to the stranger. Reward your dog for politely sitting during the introduction.
  
• Stealing off counter tops
  Remove anything and everything off the counter top, and your dog will figure out there is nothing worth “counter surfing.” This method always works! Or crate your dog when unable to supervise them.
  
  Source by: http://www.petco.com

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A Fast-Acting, Non-Toxic Treatment for Miserable Lick Granulomas

Have you ever known a dog or cat who keeps lick, lick, licking at one spot and will not stop? Sometimes it's triggered by a skin irritation. Sometimes it starts as a scrape or injury. Often, there doesn't seem to be a trigger at all.

These poor uncomfortable pets seem obsessed. They keep licking until all the fur is gone and then continue until the skin starts to go. They rip through bandages almost as fast as you can put them on. If you put one of those big lampshade-type collars on them, they either find a way to lick in spite of the collar, or they rub the bothersome area up against furniture or across the floor.

You literally have to tear the animal away from her foot (or wherever the problem is). It's amazing how strong a fluffy little creature can be when she wants to get back to licking that sore – that sore that has turned into a lick granular.

Lick Granuloma: A Very Common, Very Frustrating Condition

Lick granuloma is a condition in which a pet, most often a dog, continues to lick a single spot (usually on a leg) until all the hair is gone and a perpetual sore develops.

All veterinarians have seen these cases. And all veterinarians know that what used to be the magic answer for a lick granuloma stops working sooner or later. We all know that whatever the most common cause of these things is in a given area, we can't count on it to always be the cause. If the pet or the vet moves to a new area, we start all over again looking for the cause and the best cure.

Veterinarians are taught to diagnose disorders before treating them so that we can be sure we're using the treatment most likely to work. Something that works for a lick granuloma caused by "A" can make the sore worse if it is caused by "B". We start with tests for the most common causes of the condition and move on to tests for less common causes if necessary.
As your pet's veterinarian, we're as frustrated as you are.

Causes of Lick Granuloma

Lick granuloma is often difficult to treat, and treatment that is successful in one dog does not always work for other dogs. There can be a single cause, or multiple causes, and sooner or later infection can exacerbate the problem.

Often there is a behavior component because many dogs become obsessed with the sore, or they are anxious and lick the sore just like some people chew their fingernails to the quick when they feel anxious.

Other causes of a lick granuloma can include:

A deep-seated bacterial infection that doesn't respond to short-term antibiotic therapy	Arthritis of a joint far away from the sore
A superficial bacterial infection that is sometimes better treated topically	Stress from loss of another pet in the family
A yeast infection that can't be treated with antibiotics	Allergies
Arthritis of a joint near the sore	Nerve damage or disc disease in the back and/or the neck

There are so many potential causes for lick granuloma that if you own enough dogs, sooner or later you'll probably be dealing with this condition.

Typical Treatments for Lick Granulomas

If your pet has a lick granuloma, your veterinarian will want to do some testing. Probably lots of testing. We really want to try to find out what's underlying the problem before we try to treat it.

If your vet finds a probable cause, but the treatment for that cause doesn't work, there's a chance there is more than one cause, calling for more than one treatment.

The approach in conventional veterinary medicine has been to diagnose as many contributing causes as possible, and then use a combination of treatments to address the issue.

These conventional treatments include:

• Drugs that help anxiety
• Drugs that help pain
• Drugs that help inflammation
• Drugs that help infections
• Narcotic antagonists
• Surgery

Even with all those treatments, lick granulomas are still a big problem for veterinarians trying to treat them. If you've ever known a dog with the condition, you know how frustrating and costly it can be. Even when you add integrative medicine, including perhaps acupuncture, herbs, chiropractic, and/or homeopathy, there will always be some poor dog out there who still is suffering.

Laser Therapy Research Can Give Us a Better, Faster Treatment

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), also known as cold laser therapy, has been helpful for many pets with lick granuloma. But, there is no research to support its use – just reports that it seems to help.

Some people think we should just go ahead and try it and forget the lack of research. But if we do that, we are going in blind. The first low level laser treatment was pioneered in the late 1960s, almost as a mistake.

The researcher was trying to destroy cancers with lasers but the laser power was too low. Instead, it helped mice heal faster from surgical wounds. The researcher didn't get what he was looking for, but he found a way to help mice.

The problem is that if we just guess at the dose, we have no systematic way of testing the proper wavelength, intensity, duration, or timing of treatments. What we're left with are a lot of anecdotal stories. My way worked for me, your way worked for you … but we're trying to compare apples to oranges. 

Formal scientific research will help us determine whether laser therapy really does work, how often to treat, what type of cold laser to use, and what setting is appropriate.

A research project has been presented to the AHVM Foundation that will answer whether laser therapy helps, how often it should be done, and whether the safest low-intensity laser is beneficial. The laser therapy researchers have already had some success and want to continue testing to see if their results hold.

With a successful project, thousands of veterinarians, conventional as well as holistic, will have the support they need to start using laser therapy. All we're missing is the money to fund the research.

If you have ever had a pet with an uncomfortable, persistent, and seemingly incurable skin disease, now is the time to open your heart and help us support this project. Help us find a better, faster treatment for lick granulomas. There is a good chance that you or someone you know will have a pet that will be helped by this.

Source by: http://healthypets.mercola.com

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