Dog Behavior 101

My sweet neighbor recently gave me a book about pups, since she realizes I help manage a dog rescue. The quote by Callie Smith Grant on the back of the cover is perfect and reads, " if this hound could like us, well... maybe we could trust ourselves ." Now, here's the rub. This only becomes a reality, when we approach this concept in reverse. Dogs need to respect us, like us, but not see us as assets, a doggie treat if you will. They need to see us as leaders—and this only happens when we begin to trust ourselves, guiding them in a confident, calm manner. This concept, the reason why wolves first started coming to our camp fires in the first place, must be understood before you become a dog owner. In other words, dogs are a two way street. In order to truly enjoy their affection, you must be a leader—or get off your biscuit and begin learning how to be one. For some of us, we are not confident, not feeling cozy in our own skins or maybe we are impatient. These trai...

By Gary Newcomb Gary is a contributing editor and works closely with The Little Red Dog as a volunteer and trainer. His own company PawsRMade4Walkin.com works with families who currently have problems with their pups. If you watch the news, then you have undoubtedly heard commentary on how inherently "dangerous" Pitbulls ( by the way, Pitbull is not a breed—rather a slang term that was used to describe any dog that was used for the cruel sport of bull-baiting ). It is true, pitbulls have killed people, as have Labs, Shepherds, Cattle Dogs, Dalmatians, and just about every other breed of dog. But this isn't really about dog attacks. It's about the misrepresentation by the media to make these attacks seem like a regular occurrence. According to a study conducted by dogbite.org there were 36 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities that occurred in 2018. With an estimated 89.7 million dogs (3.6 million being bully breeds), Simple math computes a 0.00001% chance of bei...

Recently I have been scrutinized more than usual for being too difficult on potential adopters. I can always take the heat, but at the same time I attempt to keep an open mind, wondering if I could soften my tone or water down the scrutiny. But here is the issue. It's our organizations responsibility to ensure that once a dog is placed in a home that the environment is safe, secure and loving for both the pup and the family. In order to facilitate this decision, we focus on dog behavior. The more the potential family knows or is willing to learn, governs directly in how successful they will be with the chosen dog. In other words, if a family has only ridden a moped I am not going to let them have a Harley Davidson—especially if they are not wiling to learn how to ride it correctly. To me focusing on dog behavior is common sense and all rescue facilities should make it standard practice. However, the hard truth is, most do not. Also, city, county and state dog shelters are so ov...

I have written other pieces on getting your canine fitted with the right equipment—but in today's article I wanted to express my disdain with the worst apparatus for walking your best bud, the retractable leash. Honestly, especially if you are a new dog owner, I do see the appeal. Companies marketing these devices perform an outstanding job, focusing on customers who are not yet savvy about how to walk a dog correctly. At first blush, they appear to be a nifty gadget to keep Fido at bay, engineered with a cool trigger to reel him in when needed. However, this doggy yo-yo can cause major problems, injuring your precious pup or you, the handler. The original retractable leash was designed for recall drills in order to teach a dog to come to the owner on command. They were much longer and never designed to take dogs on walks. However, with a couple of tweaks, companies soon saw the potential to sell these oscillating corded contraptions as proper leashes. But the reality is, as th...

Taking your bud to the dog park seems like a terrific idea—yes? Well, not really. If every owner was savvy and not lazy, then yes. However, statistically speaking, most dog fights occur at that doggie heaven we call a dog park. Why are dog parks dangerous places? The main reason is that most owners don't understand dog behavior. They believe it's the perfect spot for their pups to socialize or get some much needed exercise. Simply not true. In fact, if you really feel you need to take your buddy to the dog park, you should ensure that he or she has been properly exercised first. I realize this sounds counterintuitive, but the reasoning is 100% solid. Why? A dog that has been inside or alone for hours has pent-up energy, and bringing this dog into an extremely stimulating environment, such as a park with other dogs, is like holding a match really close to a stick of dynamite and hoping the fuse doesn't catch fire. Also, when dogs play they are practice fighting. Practice...

Too many families believe their furry pal, Fido, needs a companion in order to be content. Simply not true. In fact, a majority of the time, it's the human that really wants another dog around. Most dogs, not all, do not need another canine around to be happy.  Maybe people feel that dogs must have a permanent puppy pal, because they are derived from wolves, which are cooperative hunters and are supposed to form deep lasting friendships and allegiances within their packs. However, this is a bit of a misconception. Yes, dogs are pack animals—this is indeed what we instill in our program. However, the main point is, dogs need a leader in the pack, the human. In the wild, the other animals (not the leader) in the pack are a necessary evil,  with both shared and conflicting interests. All of us can relate to this concept.  The relationships are much more like individuals in the same corporation who work together toward similar goals, but each has his or her own ambitions...