Is it better for you to get a new puppy for your new puppy to play with?

It’s done with the best of intentions:

1) It’s time to add a puppy to your family and you want the best for your new furry friend. You have gotten the bed, bowls, and toys…everything for your new friend. You go to pick up your puppy and find that there is one puppy left in the litter that no one has taken home. You watch your puppy playing with his littermate. They are rolling and tussling back and forth, wearing each other out, and a light bulb clicks on in your head. “Our family is busy and there will be times when our puppy is left by himself. I don’t want him to get lonely. I want him to grow into a happy dog”. You turn to the breeder and say, “I’ll take both!” with a big smile on your face…after all isn’t having two puppies twice the fun? …

2) You’ve had Fido for a week or so. Life has caught up to you and you’ve been really busy! When you get home from your long day at work, your buddy is so happy to see you and wants to play, play, play! You’re tired and think, ” I could get another puppy and they could play together all day so they’ll tire each other out and then when I get home it will be “lovin” time.” You start looking for a playmate that night as your puppy chews on your shoelaces. …

3) You have a good dog that has a lot of energy! Whew, he wears you out trying to keep up with him! What you need is a doggy buddy for him to play with all day and burn off his extra energy…You’ll get a puppy for him. Your older dog is a good dog and can “help” you raise the new puppy by showing it how to behave…

Whatever the reason for a multi-dog household, we have to take our feelings out of the picture and look for the best for our dogs from their point of view. Puppies at the age of 7-8 weeks have, hopefully, had the opportunity to learn valuable life lessons from their mother and their siblings. At this age, they are developing personalities and looking for relationships. They are ready to leave their pack and build a bond with you. This is the easiest window of time for that bond to form. You must bond individually with your dog.

It is much easier for a puppy to look to another puppy or dog for the bond of companionship. They speak the same language. It takes more effort for the puppy to connect with something that doesn’t look like him, smell like him, or speak his native tongue. Bonding with a human and learning the human society rules can sometimes be a little difficult. Dogs left alone “to be dogs” are going to do just that… be dogs. They are also going to bond closely, sometimes becoming two halves of a whole instead of 2 individual dogs.

With this situation, we see an increased level of anxiety in the dogs. They become agitated when separated from the other dog, even a distance as close as across the room. They cry when their litter mate is not around. They become manic if one has to go to the vet for an overnight stay. It can lead to constant fighting between the siblings and increased dog aggression. It may even manifest as human aggression because the trust and bond with a human has never been formed. Dogs are reactionary animals. Some of them will land in a humane society where they will be un-adoptable due to their problems. Most people do not realize that this could be a death sentence for the dog. No one wants this for his or her dog’s future, so now, what to do? We must decide what is going to be the best quality of life for the dog.

The “Unthinkable” for most people…Re-home one of the dogs. No one wants to part with a dog that they have fallen in love with. It’s painful and heartbreaking for both you and your dogs. If you have difficulties with the dog already, waiting to see if they outgrow the behaviors can make it VERY hard to find a home. It takes a special person to try to fix a problem dog.

The responsible option is easier on the heart but harder on the owner….spend individual time with your dog. We understand this goes against why you got two dogs in the first place, but in the long run it can be absolute bliss for your family and your dogs! To treat the dogs as individuals means twice the “dog work” for you but also twice the love and devotion. Train each dog separately. Spend time with each one. Let them play together occasionally but you make sure you have more play time with them than they have with each other. They must have their own space to grow and develop that dog/human bond of companionship. You DO NOT have to keep them apart forever but they will need this individual attention for at least the first year of their lives or coming into your world so they look to you for their love and leadership.

Please don’t misunderstand. We are not advocating one-dog households, we each live in multi-dog homes and most of our clients have more than one dog. You can have as many dogs as you want but remember that owning a dog is privilege and to live up to that you have to do what’s best for those that you care for. We can help you raise and train your puppies. The best option is simply to train your dogs so they may live, love, play together and look to you and your family first and foremost for all their needs.

Talk Dog Training and Coaching is a professional people and dog training service. We specialize at In-Home training. Coming into your home, getting the whole family involved to address all behavioral issues in the dogs’ enviroment. We give you the tools and knowledge to have a well behaved friend for life. To bridge the commnication gap and be Talkin’ Dog in no time visit us at www.WeTalkDog.com

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Is your Boxer puppy starting to bite and chew? This strong, huge-bodied dog breed is naturally affectionate and sweet, but breeders must take necessary precautions the moment these canines turn violent. If you happen to own these dogs and fear that they might bite your neighbor or a passerby, then, get rid of these Boxer biting habit quickly before it’s too late by applying these six remedies to your problem.

Below are six remedies to your Boxer biting problems.

First remedy: Start Boxer puppy training at his early age to prevent Boxer biting problems in the future. Young canines that are well trained are less likely to become harmful dogs as they grow up. Boxers are among the dog breeds that are intelligent and wise, thus making it easier for raisers to train them.

Grown up dogs are harder to train than the young ones because they tend to become hard headed, especially when not well trained. That is why Boxer training should begin early on their lives before situations will get worse.

Second remedy: Be aware of the reasons or the stimuli that may have caused his biting. There are a number of them. Although this comes naturally in a young dog, especially when teething, this can be painful or even fatal.

Boxer puppies are also fond of chewing and biting objects such as slippers and toys to indicate their willingness to play, and later make it their habit if not well trained. Therefore, Boxer biting problems need to get fixed while they are young.

Third remedy: In the wild, wolves come in packs. They have their leader or Alpha dog, who leads the pack. In training Boxer dogs, make yourself his leader so that you will have the authority over him, most especially with his destructive behaviors.

If you see your Boxer biting a rag or when he seems to bite a person, grab his leash, face him and say “No” in a strong voice. Avoid hitting him if you do not want him to divert his fury on you. Praise him if he stays calm.

Fourth remedy: Know the reason behind their aggression. Boxer dogs are generally not the trusting type of dogs. They may show aggression like growling and barking whenever they spot something or someone new to their sight. It can be a vehicle, an animal or a human being.

They become uneasy whenever they get suspicious of someone and might utilize biting as a means of self-defense. To ensure your dog and other people’s protection, keep guard of him at all times. Dogs, like humans, are also social beings. It is better that you keep them company while they are outside the house.

Make sure that they are wearing their leash all the time. This will surely work, especially when they had proper Boxer leash training.

Fifth remedy: If you cannot keep an eye on your dog, put him on his crate. It is important for pup to have correct Boxer crate training so that when you are not around, he will just stay in that spot where he can take his nap.

You may also place his favorite soft and small toys so as not to get him bored. There is still a possibility, though, that he will continue his Boxer biting habit and even bite your hand or your foot. However, they would probably just outgrow this behavior with proper Boxer puppy training.

Sixth remedy: Another way to alleviate your Boxer biting concerns is to teach your dog how to use his teeth. Say for instance, offer him a soft, bite sized ball but do not let him chew it. This might give him an idea that it is fun to bite a human being which can pose serious health problems like Rabies.

Rabies can be deadly. You will not only be spending quite an amount of money for the treatment but you will be putting the lives of your dog and other people at risk.

By stopping Boxer biting problems as early as possible, you are not only able to grow a well-disciplined best friend. This is also a means for you to save the lives of the many. In case you cannot solve these issues all by yourself, consult the nearest dog professional.

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You must start obedience training your German shepherd ASAP! Shepherds are smart and want to please. Begin German shepherd obedience training as soon as you bring your new German Shepherd puppy home. The sooner you begin training…the better.

Ten Steps To German Shepherd Obedience Training Success:

Step one: Housebreaking: You should begin housebreaking you German shepherd at 10 weeks old (It’s a good idea to let your puppy stay with his mother and siblings for at least two and a half months so his littermates and mother have the time to socialize him. A puppy socialized with his mother and siblings is much less likely to nip, bite or have aggression problems later in life.

Most German shepherds will learn housebreaking once they’re 3 months old after one or two “mistakes”. When he goes in the house, just firmly say “no” and take him to the spot outside where you want him to “do his business”. Shepherds want to please their owners and will quickly housebreak as soon as they know what you expect them to do.

Step Two: German shepherd Obedience Training is best begun with crate training. Shepherds don’t go potty where they sleep. Crate training makes it easy to control your new best friend. He’ll let you know when it’s time to go to his “special spot” when it’s time to go.

In their natural habitat, shepherd dwell in holes in the ground, caves and other small spaces. Don’t feel guilty about confining him to a crate until he’s obedience trained. Your puppy will fell secure having a place of his own. Crate training is easy and fosters a closer bond between the two of you right away. You won’t have to scold him for doing things you don’t want him to do (he’ll be in his crate and incapable of doing mischief). Both of you will be far happier and stress free.

Step Three: One of the best ways to German shepherd obedience training is to take you German shepherd puppy to obedience dog training school. Socializing him with people and dogs will teach him to accept strangers as friends and reduce any German shepherd aggressive tendencies.

German shepherd obedience training in class and practicing with your puppy at home teaches him what you want him to do. Once he accepts you as his Alpha Dog…the leader of his pack, he’ll be much more likely to cheerfully obey your commands. Step Four: German shepherd obedience training starts with teaching your dog the basic commands: sit, stay, fetch, heal, lay down and come.

Your German shepherd puppy will learn more than the commands. He’ll learn what’s expected of him and how to please you. Isn’t becoming best friends what German shepherd obedience training is all about?

Step Five: Exercise is an important part of German shepherd obedience training. Your shepherd puppy is full of energy and needs to run and play. Taking him for walks will build a special bond between the two of you. Something you’ll both look forward to doing together.

An added benefit is that the exercise will also improve your health too.. Not excercising your shepherd can cause him to become bored. Dogs not mentally and physically challenged can become anxious and develop aggressive behaviors. It’s easy to fix this problem by providing him with lots of toys, by taking him for walks and by spending lots of time with him. A physicall and mentally challenged dog is unlikely to become aggresive.

Step Six: One of the keys to German shepherd obedience training is teaching him who is boss. In the wild, shepherds live in packs. Their natural tendency is to please the leader of the pack. Become the leader of his pack…his Alpha Dog and your German shepherd obedience training problems will be solved.

You become his Alpha Dog as soon as he realizes that you determine when and what he eats, when he takes walks, sleeps and goes out to do “his business”. Never feel guilty about this. He’ll be happier and feel more secure knowing that you are there to take care of him and provide for his needs.

Remember…Control your German shepherd by becoming the leader of his pack or he’ll think he’s your boss. Most unwanted dog problems would never occur if their masters took control early in their relationship. Be his Alpha dog and you won’t have chewing, biting, jumping, chasing, barking and house breaking problems. He’ll want to please you and will work hard to make you happy.

Step Seven: Be patient. All shepherd puppies learn German shepherd obedience training at different speeds. Always provide your puppy more time to learn what you’re trying to teach him if he has trouble learning on the first or second try. Having patience with your dog will help him to be successful.

Step Eight: Never yell or strike your German shepherd. Everything you do should build his friendship and trust.

Step Nine: Practice often. It’s best to teach German shepherd obedience training in easy, small steps.

Step Ten: If your dog refuses to stop his bad behaviors, seek professional help as soon as possible before something serious happens. A professional German shepherd obedience trainer will know how to fix the problem.

The steps listed above, should fix your German shepherd obedience training problems.

Marcus B. Stephens has owned and trained German shepherds for many years. His dog training articles and website “Fix German Shepherd Obedience Problems” are great resources for dog owners all over the world. Get your free report which reveals secrets for stopping German shepherd obedience training problems at=> http://www.FixGermanShepherdProblems.com/GermanShepherdObedienceTraining

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