Dog Behavior 101

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. You can also listen to Gary every other week on our Podcast, For The Love of Dog Please Welcome Fido To The Show! When you adopt a dog, there will be a transition period where the dog is settling in and you are getting to know each other. Those first days and weeks are going to be the foundation for your new life together. Imagine being taken by people you don't know, driven somewhere you've never been and told it's your new family and home. Many dogs experience the same nervousness you and I would in the situation. When you bring a dog home, they need time to decompress. Allowing them the time and space to get back to a calm state of mind, and comfortably get to know the new environment. During that time, try to keep everything calm and soothing f...

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...

To me it seems obvious that the pup is our client in dog rescue. For flippin' sake, it's called DOG RESCUE, not human rescue. Fortunately, we enjoy a solid relationship with a majority of people we adopt to. The only issues we have ever had are when people forget to place welfare of the pup first. However, over the years we run into many spoiled, lazy, self-centered people who demand that the dog is secondary to their petty needs. Now, let me stop here. I am not 100% crazy...close, but not 100%. I realize we need humans in this fulfilling endeavor. We do strive to find sweet souls that want to sincerely help dogs. Our organization would not survive without our hardworking volunteers; willing to sacrifice, time and sweat in the name of helping the plight of neglected dogs. We also need amazing adopters who understand that adopting a dog is forever, and it is not a purse or a pair of shoes to be returned at a whim. However, we have no time to be a doggie emissary for the ...

Almost 100% of the time, when we go to a pet owners home for the first time, there are many dog toys scattered across the house. Like a spoiled toddler, the dog is overwhelmed with options, from chewy toys to squeaky multi colored balls. We get it, we realize the humans love their dogs and want them to be happy and content. However, this situation has the opposite effect, causing the pup to be nervous and possessive.  Why you ask?   Well, the dog begins to think that the toys belong to him or her and not the human. In turn, this will lead to resource guarding, causing even deeper issues, like growling or even biting when the human or another pup wants the toy. Dogs need to understand that the toys belong to the human and that the human allows the dog to play with them at proper times. Like food and shelter, dogs need to understand that everything belongs to the human, including those fun, furry and noisy play things. To some, this sounds cruel. But the reality is that...

Ever truly wonder why fights break out at professional sporting events? Why that pitcher threw a heater at the melon of a left handed slugger or the gloves immediately hit the ice and fist a cuffs ensue in the middle of a hockey game? Well...sports are playing and playing is simply play fighting. Play fighting can lead to a real fight extremely quickly when egos and adrenalin begin pumping. Most parents don't realize the same goes for a pup when playing with their children. At least once or twice a week we are contacted about a child receiving a bite wound. The scenario is almost the same every time. The caller describes a situation were a child is innocently playing with the family pup when, out of nowhere, the dog switches gears and attacks the child in a most aggressive manner. The parents are devastated and begin making plans to rid their family of this horrible beast, not realizing that Fido did nothing wrong. In fact, the parents or the human, in almost 100% of these cases...

Fostering saves lives, but it's not for the faint of heart. As much as we need good fosters, wimps need not apply. In fact, you must have a pretty high tolerance level—or what I like to call a grit level. For example a wimp with a grit level of one would be a family who gives up on a pup, when it decides to potty on their new carpet. Conversely, a grit level of 10 would be someone who just got bit in the face, but decides to carry on anyway. For our cause, we need you to be at grit level 4 or better. Now, I do not want discourage anyone who wants to step up and foster a pup. However, if you decide to throw your hat in the ring, don't do it to make yourself feel good—or to get a pat on the back. Do it because you realize the dog needs you for the period it will take to get adopted, no matter how long this might take. Yes, no matter how long. In fact, on average, it takes just over 4 months for these furry animals to find their forever home. You must endure barking, jumping, a...

Nothing get's me more frustrated than when I see a pet owner with the wrong equipment on their pup when walking. Few people understand how important the dog walk is and this ignorance is made worse when these owners hook up their best pal to a harness or retractable leash. Walking your best pal correctly is one of the best ways to teach him who's is the leader and instills discipline. Why all the fuss you ask? Because the dog walk is where your dog begins to learn who is in charge. It's flippin' impossible to communicate with your pal and guide him through the weirdness of your neighborhood or urban jungle with a retractable leash or almost as worse—a harness. Don't take my word for it, Google it! Most dog related accidents, such as dogs getting hit by cars or bites all stem from retractable leashes and harnesses.  Now, having said that, there are some dogs that MUST be on harnesses, such as the English Bull Dog, because of their breathing issues. However, no do...