ARTICLES | 4Paws University

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aggression/reactivity
body language
clicker
fear
puppies
Shelter Dogs
Behavior Modification

CONFINEMENT TRAINING

This is a general guide on teaching your dog to be comfortable staying in a secure area other than a crate when you leave. This is not a ...

246 views

HOME ALONE: Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is a term for a range of behaviors that happen each time a dog is left alone and only when a dog is left alone. Dogs w...

158 views

Power Steering: Teaching Dogs Not to Pull On the Leash

While this video shows a new puppy learning that pressure on the leash is a cue to turn toward the handler, this same technique can be us...

182 views

Get Attention Around Distractions

Follow these steps to teach your dog how to offer you their attention in the presence of distractions. No need to call their name, make n...

81 views

How to Protect Your Dog From Mr/Ms "All Dogs Love Me"

It's not about what you say, it's about what you DO!

52 views

"BACON!" Teaching a Reliable Recall

Teaching your dog to come when called isn't difficult if you break down the training into these easy steps. From there, it's all about se...

58 views

MANAGEMENT: Better Training. Fewer Headaches!

"When a dog ________, you have to _________ so he learns not to do that." So goes most of the training advice of the last century. Human...

5,154 views

CHIN REST AND STOP/START SIGNALS

The chin rest is a useful behavior for providing general care at home, and can be used for low-stress vet exams and handling. This video...

3,642 views

CANINE STRESS SIGNS

Stress is a normal part of life for any animal. Hunger is a form of stress that reminds us to eat, fear is an emotion that helps us avoid...

21,785 views

UNDERSTANDING AGGRESSION IN DOGS

When dogs exhibit aggressive behaviors, it is always upsetting. By gaining a better understanding of aggressive behavior, you can better ...

45,972 views

WORKING AS A TEAM

For the last century, dog owners were told to view their dogs as adversaries. Scheming, manipulative creatures who were out to take over ...

270 views

ALL ANIMALS ARE "FOOD-MOTIVATED"

When was the last time you watched a nature program and heard the announcer say, "This hippopotamus is not very food-motivated"? What abo...

647 views

DO SOME DOGS/BREEDS NEED TO BE TRAINED WITH PUNISHMENT?

AVERSIVE - Anything a dog would seek to escape or avoid. How often have you heard someone say, "SOME dogs/breeds need [insert aversive me...

103 views

PREDATORY BEHAVIOR IN DOGS

Aggressive behavior can be lumped into two categories: threat response or predatory behavior. THREAT RESPONSE This is the most common. Th...

19,401 views

BAD RESCUE HURTS DOGS

Another tragic fatal dog attack has occurred this week. The breed of dog is irrelevant in the long list of factors involved in this case....

1,818 views

ARE PUPPIES EASIER TO RAISE?

"If you raise dogs from a puppy, they won't have behavior problems." I rate this one a MEGA MONSTER MYTH. Where do dogs with behavior p...

263 views

BEHAVIOR: WHAT A DOG DOES, NOT WHAT A DOG IS

Whenever I write something about dominance, I get a number of questions along the lines of, "My dog does _______. If it's not dominance, w...

3,433 views

SERIOUSLY, IT'S NOT DOMINANCE

It's not dominance. Seriously, it's not. There is no dominant breed. You don't have a dominant dog. Your dog's behavior is not a "dominan...

1,717 views

THE FEAR IS REAL TO THE DOG

When dogs exhibit fear, they can often seem silly to us. Why, for example, does my dog run out of the kitchen whenever I turn on the rang...

2,200 views

TRAINING vs COUNTERCONDITIONING

" My dog should be able to get used to other dogs. He's very smart and learned how to shake in one day!" I hear this - or some variatio...

677 views

CAPTURE ANYTHING GOOD

Capture something, anything good. Old obedience training models focused on rewarding dogs only after they responded to a cue. While mod...

183 views

WERE ALL FEARFUL DOGS ABUSED?

When people find or adopt a dog that exhibits fearful behavior, they frequently assume the dog was abused. But is that really the case? ...

316 views

"GET USED TO IT"

A common belief is that fearful dogs need to "get used to" the things that they fear. This often involves immersing the dog in an environ...

316 views

ARE YOU MAKING THIS COMMON MISTAKE?

Whether your dog exhibits reactive or aggressive behaviors, or you just have a dog in the early stages of basic training, the key to succ...

813 views

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