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Behavioral Therapy for Dogs

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Behavioral Therapy for Dogs

Behavioral therapy for dogs consists of various components that together form a total package. To start with, an extensive intake interview takes place to get a picture of the dog itself, the history, the undesirable behavior, and the circumstances in which this presents itself. This first consultation often takes 1.5 to 2 hours.

If necessary, video recordings are made to further study the behavior and specific behavioral tests are administered. Based on this, the behavioral therapist establishes a diagnosis and a therapy that is tailored to each individual owner-dog combination. The owner is well and clearly informed and guided so that he can get started with motivation. In consultation with the owner, the progress is evaluated and further adjusted if necessary.

What is Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral therapy, therefore, focuses primarily on the origin of the undesired behavior. Problem behavior is best solved by tackling its cause and not just treating its symptoms.

Of course, this is not always an option. Insufficient socialization cannot be undone by therapy. The therapist can try to improve the dog’s behavior in such a way that the problem becomes manageable. A behavior therapist cannot change anything about genetic predisposition, but in consultation with the owner it is possible to look for possibilities to use the property present in the dog in a different way.

The behavior is then reversed, but not trained away. With these kinds of problems, it is of course important that the owner remains constantly alert. As soon as the adjustment of the undesirable behavior is stopped, the dog will sooner or later revert to its old behavior.

Learned unwanted behavior

When there is learned undesired behavior, it is possible to permanently change this. Here too, the cause of the origin of the problem and the cause of the dog’s persistence in its behavior is again the first puzzle to be solved. It is not always easy to solve that puzzle, but that is precisely the challenge that you do not have to take on yourself; that is a challenge for the behavioral therapist.

Yet behavioral therapy for the owner is just as challenging, because it is not easy for the owner, especially in the first weeks. Suddenly a daily routine has to be completely turned around and everything that has happened so unconsciously until now has to become a thing of the past; every action towards the dog must be thought through. All this is often not easy at all. However, for the dog. He usually picks up on the changes very quickly. They are changes that are made in a language he understands all too well: dog language.

In consultation with the owner, the behavioral therapist can decide to support the therapy with aids. Many aids have now been developed, all of which have their own good qualities. For example, think of the Gentle Leader, the Follow Me or the MasterPlus; all animal-friendly aids with which good results are achieved. Sometimes a blockage has to be removed from the dog first.

Consider, for example, fear. We humans may be of the opinion that there is no reason to fear the dog, but that does not take away the fear in the dog. As a result, he may not be open to new impressions, rendering the therapy meaningless. With the support of Bach Flower Remedies, this blockage can be removed.

fear of failure

In addition, it may be that a dog only thinks it can fail, just like the owner who has already tried everything without success. In such a case it is important for both to be able to do good and to be rewarded for doing so. With the clicker – which is only used to teach things and not to unlearn things – certain problem behaviors can be retrained into new behaviors that are incompatible with the problem behavior.

The clicker quickly shows results and is therefore particularly motivating for both the boss and the dog. The interaction between the two does the rest. In some cases, you can also choose the discs. This teaches the dog that certain undesired behavior that he wants to exhibit, no reward and therefore will not produce the desired result. This removes the motivation for this behavior, so that the unwanted behavior will disappear.

Problem behavior in dogs

Despite all the good care of you as owner and despite the fact that you have indeed followed an obedience course, it is possible that the dog still shows undesirable behavior. When you, or those around you, experience this unwanted behavior as a problem, you have problem behavior.

Examples of this are:

  • Disobedience
  • Fear (of thunder, fireworks, cars, etc.)
  • Can’t be home alone
  • Chasing joggers, cyclists, cars
  • Aggressive behavior towards food or objects
  • Aggressive behavior towards other people and/or dogs

Many owners then try all sorts of things to remedy this problem behavior. Well-intentioned advice from friends and acquaintances is followed, but often without the desired result. Incorrect assessment of the seriousness of the situation often plays a major role in this. Despite all the measures taken, the dog persists in its problematic behavior. In some cases, the unwanted behavior even appears to be reinforcing. The measures taken have then in fact only led to a rewarding factor, which is generally so strong that it is perceived by the dog as more important than the punishment it has received for its behavior up to that point.

Thus, the dog may have dog problems which, if they are not dealt with adequately, can make it a problem dog. It is therefore a good thing, if the dog exhibits undesirable behavior that is experienced as a problem, to call in the expertise of a behavioral therapist. It is wise not to wait too long before calling in this expert, because the sooner a problem is tackled, the greater the chance of success.

Leaving your ear to the well-intentioned advice of other dog owners in your area for half a year is generally half a year of maintaining or even exacerbating the unwanted behavior, while this half year could already have been used to tackle the problems .

puppies

Even puppies, even if they come from a recognized breeder, can show behavioral problems. When the puppy is about eight weeks old, the learning process has played a major role, but not yet played a major role, so there could be a biological cause. If you, as the owner, suspect abnormalities in your puppy’s behavior, it is a good idea to call in a behavioral therapist as soon as possible.

The sooner action is taken, the better. Depending on the breeder, a puppy that is not collected until after twelve weeks may have a lack of socialization. Of course there are breeders who know their responsibilities very well and who spare themselves neither time nor effort to sufficiently socialize a dog that due to circumstances stays a little longer. Unfortunately, it also happens very often that breeders are less conscientious about their puppies.

Pups that stay a little longer are often kept a bit afterwards in the hope that a buyer will come soon. These puppies are not taken outside enough to meet different kinds of people, children and other kinds of dogs, traffic and everything they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. In addition, there are unfortunately always the so-called “bread breeders”, where the puppies stay in sheds and lofts and do not actually come out until the moment of sale.

These puppies, with a poor to very poor socialization, are not easy to convert into social family dogs; they are disabled. There may even be a kennel syndrome. In that case, the dog is no longer open to its surroundings at all and lives in a hell, as it were. Sometimes, however, it is still possible to make up for the damage step by step, but that requires a lot of patience, time and craftsmanship.

In the case of a very poor socialization, it is not always possible to guarantee in advance whether a therapy will be successful. It is then up to the owner to consider whether he can and wants to invest a lot of extra time in the dog, without guarantee of results. It is also possible that you meet a puppy out of thousands, who behaves well, but who has a traumatic experience. You will often not notice anything about the puppy at first.

Nevertheless, there is a good chance that after a few months he suddenly turns out to have a phobia. For example, if your puppy has been attacked and bitten by another dog, it is a good idea to give him therapy with a behaviorist to prevent possible problems in the future.

Adult dogs

It is often the adult dogs for which a behavior therapist is called in. Of course this includes dogs that are taken from the shelter and that have the necessary scars from dealing with their previous owner. In those cases, intensive re-education comes into play. But it also concerns dogs that have been with their owner from the start.

Sometimes it concerns dogs in whom problem behavior suddenly arises at a later age. The cause often lies in a shocking event, such as moving house or the loss of a family member to whom the dog was particularly attached. Other times, it concerns dogs that gradually developed the problem behavior. Because the owner has never really noticed certain behavior of the dog, has always ignored it, has not corrected properly or has hoped that it would go away on its own, behavior can slowly but surely arise that is experienced as a problem.

Again, the sooner action is taken, the better. This does not alter the fact that many adult dogs, even if they have been causing problems for a very long period of time, are capable of surprising improvements. When we as humans get under the skin of the dog and thus start to think like a dog, we can learn to “understand” the dog and we can adequately “tell” him what we do and do not expect from him.

Dogs generally respond quickly and positively to this. If there is more clarity for the dog, there will also be more relaxation for him. At first, the owner only comes with effort, but soon he will be rewarded for this effort when he can see the improvement in his dog’s behavior.

Of course one problem is not the other and it will often depend on the cause of the problem behavior and the way in which it has been dealt with, how quickly results can be achieved. For example, if his unwanted behavior has always brought something to the dog, you will achieve results faster than it was only once. In some cases, the behavioral therapist will also draw the owner’s attention to the fact that certain undesirable behavior will first increase in intensity, then weaken and disappear completely.

In any case, every improvement stands or falls with the efforts and possibilities of the owner. After all, he is the one who has to do it – under the expert guidance of the behavioral therapist, of course.

Older dogs

That behavior therapy for older dogs is pointless may be referred to the land of fables. Undesirable behavior in older dogs that have been showing this for many years is of course ingrained and cannot or can hardly be remedied anymore, but it is possible to look at dealing with these ingrained problems as well as possible. A behavioral therapist can give valuable tips and advice and help everything in the right direction by means of dog-friendly aids.

There may also be an older dog that has to be transferred due to family circumstances, for example. Such a transfer is not easy for an older dog. His environment and routine were completely familiar to him and he will miss his previous home for a long time. If they come out of the shelter and have had to experience a lot of stress there in their old age, that also has its influence. If an older dog has difficulty with a transfer, whether or not from a shelter, and develops problem behavior as a result, it is certainly useful to call in a behavior therapist.

Just in case there is no transfer at all, we often see an older dog becoming part of the furniture. He does not immediately demand attention and sometimes gets it less and less or not at all. This can cause dogs to become depressed. They may also suddenly develop separation anxiety or show senility symptoms at a later age. This then manifests itself in asking to be let out while they have just returned, not knowing their way any more, living in a “little world of their own”.

The older dog also undergoes quite a few changes physically, which are not all equally easy. For example, they may need to be let out more often because their bladder and bowels are not functioning as well. When an older dog starts to show behavioral problems, it is therefore advisable to call in a behavior therapist. With an objective view of things, he can often put his finger on the sore spot and give advice that both the owner and the dog themselves can use.

Education versus action

When training, you gradually teach the dog something in a positive way. For every piece of an exercise that the dog performs well, he is rewarded and that way you achieve the desired result. So you teach the dog to show certain behavior when you ask for it. Parenting, on the other hand, has to do with social rules.

This applies to both dogs and humans. You can teach a child to read and write at school. Then you talk about education, but if the child then starts writing all kinds of protective words on the wallpaper, the aspect of upbringing comes up for discussion. You will have to let the child know that some things are acceptable and others are not.

The same goes for dogs. Education is therefore about setting boundaries. This is allowed and that is not allowed. In order to discover those boundaries, dogs will often first cross them once. That is the moment when the dog must be made known where exactly the boundary is. Communication is therefore of great importance. We cannot require our dogs to speak our language, but we can master their language.

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A Vacation to Remember: From DFW to Naples

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Embarking on a trip to Naples, Florida from Dallas/Fort worth International Airport (DFW), I knew I would be swept away by the warm sun, sandy beaches, and the emerald Gulf of Mexico waters. But the anxiety of leaving my precious poodle behind was a daunting challenge. That’s when I decided to entrust my furry companion to Dogs365 Resort for dog boarding, allowing me to truly enjoy my vacation.

The Dogs365 Resort experience began even before I left for the airport. Booking a spot for my poodle was as easy as a few clicks on their user-friendly website. Their comprehensive range of services, from grooming to daycare and training, gave me peace of mind. I knew my poodle would be in the best hands, experiencing their own kind of vacation while I was away.

Upon arrival at the resort, the courteous staff greeted us warmly. They asked detailed questions about my pet’s dietary preferences, medical needs, and behavioral traits, underlining their commitment to personalized care. I left my poodle in their care, knowing she would receive the attention and love she deserved.

With my mind at ease, I was ready to start my vacation. My flight from DFW took me to the beautiful coastal city of Naples. Renowned for its world-class shopping, dining, and art galleries, Naples promised to be the perfect getaway. The lure of sandy beaches, the charm of the historic downtown, and the allure of the Everglades all contributed to the magic of this Floridian paradise.

From exploring the trails in Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, shopping in chic boutiques at Fifth Avenue South, to relishing mouth-watering seafood at the waterfront restaurants, every day in Naples was a new adventure. The sunset views over Naples Pier were the stuff of dreams, while the dolphin spotting cruises brought joy and excitement.

Meanwhile, back at Dogs365 Resort, my poodle was having an equally exciting time. I received daily updates, complete with adorable pictures and stories of her playtimes, grooming sessions, and new friends. It was evident she was enjoying her stay, running around in their spacious play areas, and being pampered by the professional grooming staff. The team even worked on obedience training, making her vacation a perfect blend of play, pampering, and learning.

Towards the end of my trip, I visited the Naples Botanical Garden. As I wandered through the gardens, captivated by the explosion of tropical flora, a sense of calm washed over me. My vacation was not marred by constant worry about my pet; instead, it was filled with the joy of exploration and relaxation, all thanks to Dogs365 Resort.

As I boarded my flight back to DFW, I was not just bringing back souvenirs and memories, but also the satisfaction of a well-spent vacation. The feeling was amplified when I picked up my poodle from Dogs365 Resort. Seeing her happy, well-groomed, and visibly healthier, I knew I had made the right choice.

My vacation to Naples, Florida, was a trip to remember, not just for the mesmerizing sunsets and culinary delights, but also for the peace of mind I had, knowing my poodle was cared for by Dogs365 Resort. It wasn’t just a boarding experience; it was a testament to their dedication and love for pets. With Dogs365 Resort, I learned that I could enjoy my vacation to the fullest, confident that my furry family member was experiencing her own delightful getaway back home.

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The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right German Shepherd Puppy for Your Family

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The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right German Shepherd Puppy for Your Family

If you’re considering getting a German Shepherd puppy, this article will help you make an informed decision. It will also help you find a reputable breeder in your puppy’s best interests.

The most important thing to look for in a pup is their temperament. Good German Shepherds have strong nerves that allow them to adapt and react appropriately to various situations.

Know Yourself

When choosing a german shepherd puppies for sale in South Florida, it’s important to remember that they are all highly individual. Their personalities and tendencies are more important than their physical appearance in determining whether they will fit in well with your family.

Often, people will think that the best way to choose a dog is by choosing one with a great physique and a beautiful coat. This may be true sometimes, but you’ll also want to consider other factors.

If you’re looking for a German Shepherd puppy for protection, training, or as a pet, ensuring their personalities match yours is important. A shy or aggressive dog is not the right choice for your home.

When choosing a puppy, you should visit them multiple times to understand their temperament and health better. Just like humans, puppies have their off days, and you won’t be able to tell what they’ll be like long-term just from one visit.

Know Your Pup’s Personality

Just like people, puppies have individual personalities and tendencies. That means you must know your puppy’s personality before bringing it home.

You must conduct basic temperament testing to determine your puppy’s temperament. This includes separating the puppy from the litter, walking around and seeing how it follows you.

A dog that follows you is well-socialized with people and enjoys being with them.

Another test is to roll a ball toward the puppy and see how it reacts. A more dominant puppy will likely take the ball and resist returning it to you.

A more submissive puppy might be frightened of the ball coming toward them. That’s a good indicator of the puppy’s temperament.

Know Your Pup’s Needs

Choosing the right German Shepherd puppy for your family comes down to understanding their needs. This means assessing the personality and tendencies of each pup in the litter.

Some pups may be more energetic, busy, bold, exploratory, or intense than others. These puppies need close supervision, prevention of problematic behaviors, and nearly constant management.

Another factor that you should consider is whether the pups are socialized well. A puppy that has not been properly socialized is likelier to bite if they become nervous or scared.

In addition to assessing their personalities, you should check out each puppy’s overall health. Puppies should be the appropriate weight, odor free, and have clear eyes and clean ears.

You should also note how the puppy reacts when you touch them. A pup hesitant to interact with you is probably not a good match for your family.

Know Your Pup’s Health

As a new puppy owner, it can be nerve-wracking to notice something isn’t right. Knowing what is normal can make all the difference to your pet’s overall health and happiness, whether it’s a loose stool, vomiting after a meal or how many zzzs a dog needs.

The most important thing you can do to know your pup’s health is to monitor their symptoms and take them to the vet when they need treatment. By watching your puppy closely, you’ll be able to spot any issues before they become more serious or costly to treat.

German Shepherds are prone to several health issues, including exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), which causes the pancreas not to produce enough digestive enzymes for your dog’s bowel to function properly. It can lead to many health problems and is often fatal if not treated promptly. Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to prevent and treat with replacement digestive enzymes in their food.

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Cat Health – Health Issues In Cats

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Cats are often seen as independent and self-sufficient animals. However, when it comes to their health, they need just as much care and attention as any other animal. In this article, we will discuss the various aspects of cat health, including common health issues, preventative measures, and the importance of regular check-ups.

Common Health Issues in Cats:

There can be a variety of health issues in cats, ranging from mild to severe. One of the most common issues is dental disease, which can lead to bad breath, gum disease, and even tooth loss. Another common issue is obesity, which can lead to a range of other health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Cats can also be prone to skin issues, such as allergies, infections, and parasites.

Other common health issues in cats include:

1. Urinary tract infections: Symptoms include urinating outside of the litter box, frequent urination, and blood in the urine.

2. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD): Symptoms include difficulty urinating, crying out while urinating, and blood in the urine.

3. Upper respiratory infections: Symptoms include sneezing, coughing, and runny nose.

4. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV): Symptoms can include fever, weight loss, and anemia.

Preventative Measures:

The good news is that many of these health issues can be prevented with proper care and attention. Here are some preventatives measures that can help keep your cat healthy:

1. Regular check-ups: It is important to take your cat to the vet for regular check-ups. This can help catch any health issues early, before they become more serious.

2. Vaccinations: Vaccinations can help protect your cat from a variety of diseases, such as rabies and feline distemper.

3. Dental care: Regular brushing and dental cleanings can help prevent dental disease.

4. Healthy diet: Feeding your cat a healthy diet can help prevent obesity and other health issues.

5. Exercise: Providing your cat with plenty of opportunities to exercise can also help prevent obesity and other health issues.

6. Parasite prevention: Regular flea and tick prevention can help prevent skin issues, as well as other health issues that can be caused by parasites.

The Importance of Regular Check-Ups:

Regular check-ups are essential for maintaining your cat’s health. During a check-up, the vet will examine your cat’s overall health, check for any health issues, and recommend any necessary treatments or preventative measures. Regular check-ups can also help catch any health issues early, before they become more serious.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, cat health is an important aspect of pet care that should not be overlooked. From regular check-ups to preventative measures, there are many things you can do to help keep your cat healthy. By staying informed about common health issues and taking the necessary steps to prevent them, you can help ensure that your cat lives a long and healthy life.

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