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By Kathy Diamond Davis
Author and Trainer
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Trainer Kathy Diamond Davis answers personal questions about your dog's behavior and training concerns. Sometimes reading about generic barking problems isn't enough; sometimes what you really want is to be able to say "this is my concern, this is what sets my dog off, and what can I do in this specific situation?" Other people's Q&As can be helpful too, so the best ones are available in this series.
Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.
Email Kathy at MrsGoodPuppy@aol.com for personal answers to your canine behavior and training questions.
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Two male miniature Dachshunds have had papers in the house along with trips outside to relieve themselves. Now 26 and 30 months, the dogs are more than occasionally relieving themselves in various parts of the house. |
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An 8-month-old and a 3-month-old puppy spend a lot of time in the fenced yard without the owner. The 3-month-old tends to relieve himself in the house right after being outdoors. |
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A 2 1/2-year-old female Pug occasionally urinates on the owner's bed at home. When visited the owner's father's home, the dog occasionally has bowel movements indoors. |
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This good person has adopted a timid female Beagle who is afraid of all sorts of things, but not aggressive. How can she best help this frightened dog adapt to her new home? |
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This family has "the perfect dog," in a home with a preschool child. Is it a good idea to bring in another large dog of the same sex? |
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In her short 15 months of life, this little dog has changed homes at least three times. How do you help a dog adjust safely and happily to a new home? |
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Hiding in the corner of the cage, terrified, at the adoption center, this dog has warmed up to family members. Can she ever be a party animal? |
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A very kind person wants to help a very troubled dog. Will this work in a home where young grandchildren come to visit? |
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These good folks have have found retired show dogs from a reputable breeder to make excellent family companions. Their most recent adoption is experiencing separation anxiety. |
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This tiny dog has big fears. When is it time for medication? |
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A terrible family tragedy seems to have caused the family dog to turn aggressive, biting the kids and mom. Can he be saved, and where should she start? |
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Mom feels the 10-month-old Border Collie is showing aggression toward her 7-year-old son. Is obedience class the place to find the answer? |
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Usually motherly with smaller animals, this large dog shows a different reaction to a litter of feral kittens. Dog instincts are sometimes stronger than training. |
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Is this mixed breed dog's behavior part of normal adaptation to a new home, related to a recent illness and medication, or a warning sign of a temperament problem? |
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Training has been neglected and neutering postponed. Now this maturing dog is becoming increasingly aggressive. |
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This dog has bitten human, canine, and feline family members, and is aggressive toward strangers. The female owner values her "protectiveness." What's next? |
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A Lab/Pitbull mix at a year of age has become aggressive toward intact male dogs at the dog park. Is he a candidate for continued dog park outings? |
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A large female dog pregnant at a year of age, now shows aggression toward one of the male pups coming back to the house to live at age 4 months. She has attacked other dogs, and does leave the unfenced yard. |
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A dog with serious medical problems has begun reacting aggressively to commands and teasing. Is it safe for him to be around visiting children? |
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Just five months old, a female pup is in serious conflict with her owner. Is something wrong with this dog? |
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With owners performing the Alpha-Roll maneuver on her daily, a Sheltie is becoming more and more defensive and aggressive. What will it take to save her? |
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When left alone, Harley escapes from the house. Could medication help him? |
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An 8-month-old pup was doing well holding it in the crate from 8 to 3:30 while the owner worked, but now she needs to be gone for 9 hours a day. In just a week of letting him use papers in a small area, he's begun to have accidents in the house at other times. |
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A young Canaan Dog/Saluki cross is overzealous in protecting her beloved owner from everyone else. What she needs is more direction from the owner and the confidence that will come with it. |
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Moving from a house to a second-floor apartment, the arthritic owner is not going to be able to walk the dog. The grandson will walk the dog, but the owner wonders about a potty station for the 32-pound dog on the apartment balcony. |
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A 1 1/2-year-old female Lab/Shepherd mix sleeps downstairs. Bedtime is at 11 p.m., and around 4 a.m. the owner has to get up and let the dog out to potty. |
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Otherwise gentle, this large male dog injured a small dog who approached him off-leash when his owner had him out for a leashed walk, and the small dog subsequently died. How can a responsible owner manage the situation so this never happens again? |
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Is a top-of-the-line electronic collar the best solution for a young terrier's barking? |
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A bored Corgi is looking for something to herd, even to the extent of giving herself a bloody nose attacking the dishwasher! How can her people direct all that energy? |
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An 8-year-old mix of Sheltie and Spitz (American Eskimo) barks at guests, and both barks and growls at the owner. Is this behavior toward the owner normal for any breed? |
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The Corgi is a big dog in a small package! In the car and in the home, how do you manage a dog in times of high excitement? |
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When a sweet Schnauzer barks at people she sees along the way on walks with her owner, people could get the wrong idea. Dog and owner can have a great time while fixing this problem. |
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When given a marrow bone, this Beagle becomes seriously aggressive to anyone who approaches. He also sleeps on the bed, and attacks the second person to come to bed at night. |
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Where should a puppy learn to sleep, in a crate or on a dog bed? |
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A 7-month-old male Westie has become aggressive with his owners after being boarded with a pet sitter who won't tell the owners what she did when he got into a fight with her own dog. Now the wife is afraid of the dog. |
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Can his male and female Akitas who occasionally fight each other and are aggressive to other dogs live peacefully with her German Shepherd and Miniature Dachshund? Or, as the fellow thinks, will the little Dachshund wind up as lunch? |
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The nipping behavior this Border Collie is showing in play is not unusual for young dogs, especially herding dogs, but unsafe in a home with children. With strangers he was timid at first, and now is becoming more aggressive. |
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Three male dogs, one the father of the other two, are not living happily. Will neutering help? |
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This young Labrador has chewed up 6 pairs of eyeglasses and 7 pairs of shoes. Punishment is not working to stop her chewing (it rarely does), but there is a solution... |
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Yelling and spanking for housetraining accidents have caused a 5 1/2-month-old female Chihuahua to develop submissive urination. Now the owner is trying the method of crating the dog all the time, except for potty outings, even when someone is home. |
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Many people are absolutely convinced their dog's rambunctious behavior is due to anger because the dog wants more attention. Some times in our lives are just not the right times for a dog that requires long-term and skillful training. |
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Clicker training works, and it carries with it the benefits of clarifying an effective way of relating not only to dogs but also to other humans. All communication requires accurate timing, and clicker training gives people the chance to experience that concretely. It also gets people thinking constructively about how to manage their dogs without depending on corrections. |
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At two years of age, an intact male Cocker has a history of aggression and now has seriously injured the owner. What are her options? |
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A 2-year-old female Cocker Spaniel has been with her owner for a year and a half, during which time the owner gave up on housetraining. Now local trainers tell her it's hopeless. |
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With no fence between the yards, the Cocker runs next door to take on the Chow and German Shepherd who live there. This has resulted in injury to the Cocker, and now he barks and urine-marks inside the house! |
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A white dog is getting stained from the dye on her collar. What kind of collar options does her owner have to keep her clean and white? |
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Outdoors during the day when the owners are at work, a male Collie in the yard with a female Golden Retriever barks incessantly and shows signs of becoming overly protective. Here's how to keep the dog safe and the neighbors sane! |
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The owner wants a relaxed lifestyle while living with two female terriers, and feeding them together. Is the 8-year-old Yorkie going to be safe as the 10-month-old Airedale matures? |
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An 8-month old border collie is totally deaf (veterinarian diagnosed). The owners are teaching her sign language. When they take her out she ets so excited she won't "listen" when they try to communicate. What can they do to keep a deaf dog's attention? |
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How can a young puppy be kept from destroying the house? Crate training and supervision are the answers! |
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The owners think it's separation anxiety, but this young mixed breed dog's destructive behavior is probably related to his age. How can his owners keep him from wrecking the house while they're not home? These suggestions can help any dog owner raise a dog who can be left home alone with confidence! |
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Sometimes the most earnest efforts to cure separation anxiety in a dog will actually make it worse! |
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One of the three boys in the family received a serious bite to the face from the long-suffering Boston Terrier. Can this family afford NOT to bring in a behavior specialist? |
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Do the youngest dogs in a pack bond more with the other dogs than with humans? Not necessarily, but a problem can arise when dogs are never separated from each other, and the "significant other" in the dog's life is another dog. |
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At a year of age, this fearful Border Collie/Beagle mix has become aggressive to other male dogs. He is inseparable from his female littermate, and fearful of all strange humans, too. |
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This 1-year-old male Great Dane was found wandering loose. He freaks out when he sees another dog of any kind, and the owner doesn't want to have him neutered, vaccinated other than rabies, or take him to obedience class. |
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Rowdy was mistreated by children in his first home. In spite of this owner's valiant efforts, he could not be saved, but the former owners still don't understand why she is upset, |
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A niece and her boyfriend are staying at the house with the dog and her owner. The little dog barks at him, he's afraid of the dog, and he throws things at her. |
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The 10-year-old female Wire Fox Terrier usually lets the 5-year-old female Pekingese rule the roost. Problems come when the Peke has a seizure or an episode with her collapsing trachea. |
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When is licking a problem? How can you best manage it so that the dog actually benefits, rather than harming herself and your home furnishings? |
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Why is a large, 1-year old dog likely to chew things other than his own toys? Here's how to use confinement, supervision, and training to humanely and safely bring your dog through this stage. |
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Going to a dog park needs to be a personal choice for each person with a dog. It's a choice that needs to be made for each individual dog, because some dogs will function well in dog parks and some will not. |
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This 2-year-old Airedale is so afraid of loud noises that she wants to run all the way home. She can do it, too, because she is able to drag her owner! |
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The new owners of a 10-week old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier want to train her to relieve in one spot in the yard because they have harsh winter weather. While teaching her to go outside in the first place, how do they place the right emphasis on the exact spot? |
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Eight-month-old male German Shepherd Cole has been with his new family just three weeks, and is attached to the wife. What things need to be done to fulfil her dreams for him, of being the great dog she knows he can be? |
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This 7-year old dog spent the first 2 years of her life in Japan where she did not experience thunderstorms. Now they panic her, and the owners fear she will have a heart attack. |
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A new dog from the shelter won't go to the bathroom in the yard, as she doesn't like the wet grass or the rain. She gets stubborn and won't even come off the porch. She waits and waits to go, but when taken to a near-by park, she goes in seconds. |
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At only 10 months of age, this dog has had class training, private training, medications to calm him and a head halter he hates. His owners have run out of ideas and money, but they don't want to give up on him. |
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An 8-week old puppy has housetraining accidents all over the house, and chews up the puppy pads. Would it work to put her in baby diapers? |
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Why do dogs dig? How can you have dogs and a nice yard at the same time? |
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While outside for housebreaking training, a 9-week old puppy wanted to eat her own feces. Why? |
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The large, 4-year old male terrier mix has inflicted injuries on both the female Chow mix and the male terrier mix in the home, as well as on one of the owners. They have decided not to keep him, and want help considering their options. |
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A female Pomeranian's owner has moved with the dog to a home that has a male Boxer. The interations between the dogs look dangerous to the Pom's owner--but are they? |
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The family has adopted a 1-year old female Border Collie, now in her fifth home, to live with their 9-year old female Cocker Spaniel. The Cocker isn't happy. |
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A female Yorkie defecates on the sofa, even when the owner tries placing a plastic carpet runner there. Punishing the dog hasn't helped. |
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A Boston Terrier is apparently so obsessed with protecting the house that he stands sentry at the window to bark at anything he sees, and nips at incoming guests and his owner, who is restraining him. Here's how to keep guests safe and improve the dog's behavior without creating new problems at the same time. |
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At age 13, the dog has lost her hearing and barks more than before. For the last two days she has been barking at the owner constantly, and now is trembling for no apparent reason. |
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A 7-year old Gordon/English Setter lived completely outdoors before moving to her new home. The new owner is uncomfortable confining a dog of this age to a crate. |
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A family who has had to make the heart-breaking choice to euthanize a dangerous dog has found some comfort in the stable behavior of their new puppy. Was the problem that the first puppy came from a shelter? |
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Grown-up daughter not living at home had two highly-trained female German Shepherds kept with a smaller female mixed breed. One of the GSDs killed the mix, and now Mom thinks the "vicious" GSD should be euthanized. |
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Some of the 10 or so dogs at this one home turned on one of the older females and hurt her. Will they try to kill her? What can be done to keep all of the dogs safe? |
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This tiny Poodle barks at large dogs everywhere, including on trips to France with her owner. The answer is a positive method to teach her to look at her owner instead of looking at the other dogs. |
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A springer spaniel started showing aggression over her food and treats at 4 months of age, and has growled and snapped more at the owner as she has followed the advice of two different trainers. It's time for help from a behavior specialist. |
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Two female dogs raised together are now maturing. A crisis was brought on in their relationship when the owner allowed a renter to move in with two more dogs. |
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A 16-month old female Labrador occasionally shares her home with a visiting male dog who urinates in a particular spot in the house. Now she occasionally defecates there. |
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A 15-month old Border Collie has been in his home just a month and is seriously guarding his food dish from an adult owner. The family plans to have children, and wants to be sure the dog will be okay with them. |
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A 4-year old male Chinese Crested is not housetrained, and the owner has now had a stroke. Her daughter is living with her, and wants to know how to get through to the dog. |
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The owner is sure this Boston Terrier's barking and raised hackles at the sight of other people on walks is not aggression because he calms down when he sniffs them. He doesn't do it when taken out jogging. |
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A 2 1/2-year old neutered male German Shepherd is picking up an item at bedtime and "guarding" it from family members without biting. He also sometimes barks at visitors, and gets growly with the family kids. |
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A 4-year old German Shepherd was destructive in the house, so his owners have put him outside in a pen, chained to his dog house. Now he has destroyed the pen. |
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A two-year-old male German Shepherd has begun growling at the family's 7-year-old daughter when she approaches the pen. He has never really liked people, and the owner wonders if it's safe to keep him. |
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A 2-year old breeding female Golden Retriever was placed in a private home by a kennel due to concerns about her poor physical condition. She has done well, except for housetraining accidents indoors when the owner is not home. |
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At 10 months of age and after being reliably housetrained, a 10-month old old female Golden Retriever has begun defecating in the house. What could be happening? |
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At only 4 months of age, a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix is seriously growling at the mom and 11-year old child when walked on leash, which is frequently necessary since they have no fenced yard. The family also has a 10-year old child with a disability, and needs to decide if it's safe to keep the pup. |
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This 14-month-old Labrador does well with the couple's four children, except for serious growling at one 9-year old boy. He's scheduled to be neutered in 2 weeks. |
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These owners have a 1-year old retriever mix they got 3 months ago. The dog jumps on people she meets, gets mouthy and nips, and growls sometimes when they approach her. What approach that's different from what the owners are doing would help? |
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A 7-month old Beagle gets something the family doesn't want her to have, so they chase her down and corner her. She growls in response to this treatment, and they want to know what to do about it. |
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A 3-year-old German Shepherd mix barks at dogs from inside the car and sometimes on leash, though she did well in obedience class. How can the owner safely handle this behavior while driving a car? |
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Two 8-month old male West Highland White Terriers have been raised together even to the extent of sharing the same crate. Now they have begun to fight. |
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A male Bichon whose housetraining was completely neglected by a former owner in the first year of his life is doing better, but still occasionally urine-marks in the basement. Is this disobedience? |
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An 11-month old bulldog/pitbull mix has been placed with this family as a last chance to come out of her shell. After 30 hours, she's still hiding from everyone. |
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A female Chow mix about 2 years old has come to live with the family who adopted her sister as a puppy. Deprived of much human contact for these first 2 years, the newcomer needs a lot of help. |
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After first one and then a second knee injured and surgically repaired, a chocolate Labrador now retreats under the couple's high antique bed whenever the household gets noisy or hectic, as well as at bedtime. Is this a bad thing? |
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A year-old Dobe chases and bites at children, and the family has three kids who are getting bitten. The owners are convinced the problem is prey drive, and want to place the dog in a home without children. |
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Adopted yesterday, an adorable Collie mix is confused about housetraining, and has had two urine accidents in the house. The new owners "don't want to give her up, but really can't live with this problem." |
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Parents of 5 now-adult offspring and grandparents of 18 children, a couple has not had a dog since the loss of their 18-year old Irish setter. They have a Bichon puppy coming to their house soon, and realize things have changed in housetraining. |
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Two dogs are coming to a new home at age 3. The new owner still wants to keep them outside most of the time as they have been living, but wants to know if they can be taught housetraining and basic obedience commands to spend time in the house during bad weather. |
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The 19-month old Bichon has been with the owner since puppyhood, but three more dogs have joined the family recently, all adults and none housetrained. Somebody is always having an accident! |
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The 9-month old female Min Pin has housetraining accidents about 10% of the time. The owner believes the dog understands "just about everything we tell her," and is not yet housetrained because she is defiant and lazy. |
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A 2-year old dog is not yet housetrained. The owner doesn't want to use a crate--thinks the dog is too old, and can't afford a crate. |
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An 8-month old neutered male dog is getting humped all the time at the dog park by other male dogs. Why? |
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Many of the nicest dogs are fence jumpers. What are your best options for keeping a dog safely confined, once he has developed this habit? |
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A new cat joins a home that already had three dogs. How do you introduce them, and is it safe to leave them alone together? |
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You have an older female dog, and you want to bring in a male puppy. How do you manage this so the result will be two happy dogs? |
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When the oldest of the family's three cats died, they brought home an 8-week old kitten and kept it in the basement before introducing it to their two dogs. Someone left the door open, and the Jack Russell Terrier killed the kitten in about two minutes. |
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A 2-year old male Dachshund is aggressively bossy toward the family's 1 1/2 year-old female Dachshund, but there have been no injuries. Is this a problem? |
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A big dog who lives in the backyard jumps all over the two young children and their friends. What's an overworked single mom to do? |
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The dog loves snoozing on the furniture, and the owner wants him to stay off, especially when she gets the new furniture she's planning to buy. There's more than one way to solve this problem. |
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In a family with four children, it's a matter of concern when the 2-year old Lab growls when someone removes a stolen item from his mouth. How can they defuse this before a child is bitten? |
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Barking, whether indoors or out, one of the two adolescent Labradors keeps this couple awake. Training and management can solve the problem, a big job with two young dogs at the same time! |
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This nice dog has one fault--pulling on leash. Here are the basics for teaching a dog to walk on a loose leash. |
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A 5-year old male Cocker Spaniel and a 2-year old male Labrador/Spitz are urinating in the house. Sounds like a case of "duelling tinklers"! |
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What can you do when other people let their dogs run free? |
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Two 4-month old male Westies are relieving themselves outside, but spending what the owner feels is too much time in the crate indoors. Is part of the job of housetraining to let them have accidents in the house in order to correct them? |
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A 1 1/2-year old male Labrador urinates submissively with the owners and with guests to the home. Would it help or hurt to get another dog? |
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A 6-month old male Boston Terrier pup sleeps on the owner's bed, and now has urinated there. He needs to sleep someplace else, at least for awhile. |
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With children ages 1, 3, and 5 in the home, the 5-month old Mastiff's growling at them is a matter of grave concern. Does this dog belong in a home with young children? |
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A 3-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer has had extensive training and socialization, but still shows all sorts of fears. Here's what to check, and how you can help such a dog cope better. |
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When a 9-month old Golden Retriever roughly and persistently mouths family members, what can you do? Handle big, rowdy, smart dogs and help them grow into the wonderful companions they can be. |
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A 9-month old Golden Retriever is taking the play-biting too far. Here's how to handle this problem in ways that will help the dog grow into a great family companion. |
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The owner wants a dog who will love playing with other dogs at the dog park and with all the dogs of friends. Is that fair to this dog? |
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A 95-pound dog is so aggressive to the bewildered neighbor on the other side of the fence that he barks ferociously and bites the chain link. In other settings, the dog is fine with strangers. |
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The fiance is treating the tiny male Chihuahua harshly, and the dog is terrified of him. Is this guy a keeper for a life partner and parent to her future children? |
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A 2-year old Golden Retriever was attacked three times by other dogs in her first year of life, each attack resulting in injury. Now she grabs all the toys and aggressively guards them whenever she interacts with other dogs. |
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Some mounting is not sexual, and as with people, there's a wide margin of he/she interaction that is flirty but not leading toward sex. Likely there will be some mounting, and it could even at times be her mounting him. |
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An intact male German Shepherd has "nipped" the daughter twice, once after she crawled all over him, has urinated on the son's bed, and has bitten a guest resulting in facial stitches. He's due to be neutered soon, but is that going to help? |
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The family has had the 7-year old neutered male Red Nose Pit Bull since he was 2 months old. Lately he has had such frenzies to get into a particular closet that he has torn through doors to reach it. |
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A family has moved from a house with no carpeting to a carpeted home. Their previously-housetrained 1-year old is having housetraining accidents, and they have a new baby coming. |
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A 7-year old neutered male Toy Poodle has joined a home with two older small Poodles, leaving a home with a 2-year old child. He is extremely aggressive to the new owner and the other dogs, especially when "guarding" something, and he will bite. |
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A young Sheltie "nips" at people when out in public. What might be causing this behavior, and how can it be managed safely? |
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A 1.5 year old dog has taken to nipping at people who walk by in the off-leash dog park. How can this new habit be nipped in the bud? |
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After 6 months of living in harmony with a new puppy, an 8-year large dog attacks the small breed puppy but doesn't hurt him. Can they still live together safely? |
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After 5 years in the same house with no problems, a 9-year old indoor dog starts urinating in the house. Should her owners put her outside or change their lifestyle? |
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A young female Beagle mix found the perfect owner when a kindly person rescued and placed all four of her pups and adopted her. This is a wonderful success story about a wise and loving dog owner. |
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Now 4 years old, this male Australian Cattle Dog was adopted for the fourth time at 8 months of age. He has become aggressive in what the owner interprets as overprotection of her. |
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Everyone is afraid of this 10-month old female Miniature Schnauzer because of her aggressive behavior toward guests and toward people she sees when out on leash. What kind of help does she need? |
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After a bite incident resulting in 47 facial stitches on the owner, the oldest male of the three Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs in the family was euthanized. Is behavior the 5-month old male shows toward the 4-year old female indicative of the same problem developing in him? |
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On a recent walk with two dogs on leash, a close call with three loose dogs charging has made this owner want to know if pepper spray is safe on dogs. What other options are there to keep your dogs safe on walks? |
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A male Toy Poodle has decided the husband's arrivals and departures require serious barking and growling. How can this smart little guy be directed into safer behavior? |
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A 7-month old nipping Golden Retriever has the owners worried with her behavior toward their son. They are not able to control her on the leash, either. |
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A 6-month old Weim puppy is chewing everything, including the walls and door mouldings. |
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An 8-month old Jack Russell mix keeps playing with his teeth. Is he too old to learn the "Close Your Mouth" technique? |
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Two male German Shepherd/Labrador littermates have been kept together outside in a pen while owners work long hours, and neighbor kids have traumatized them. How can the owners improve the dogs' response to humans? |
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A 5-year old female English Springer Spaniel has growled at the owner when corrected, and has seriously injured the family's male Labrador. Is this "Springer Rage"? |
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Does raw honey have any benefit in cases of aggression? When should it NOT be tried? |
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Outdoors in the fenced yard while the owner is at work, a dog is disturbing neighborhood peace with her barking. The owner also wonders why the dog hides her food from the other family dog. |
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A Chow wandered onto the property and adopted the family. Now she is aggressive toward anyone who visits the house, and they want to know how to prevent someone from getting bitten. |
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An adult male Lhasa mix spent a month in a foster home after being found wandering loose, and now has been adopted by a new family. His medical problems may be part of the reason he bites his loving family. |
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Deprived of attention, training and even much basic care for the first 10 months of his life, this young Labrador has now landed in a good home. They want to know how to keep him from gutting the inside of the house in his fear when they have to leave him alone! |
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Dogs love to play keep-away if owners will chase them, but it's not a good idea. Change to a healthy game of fetch. |
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A Shepherd/Collie mix seems to want to control her surroundings whenever she walks on leash. Anything that moves causes her to bark or lunge. |
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Why is it that you can go five years without having any doggie accidents in a particular spot, but as soon as you put down a rug, they use it all the time? |
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A young Airedale failed to obey the "come" command in an emergency. How can his owners keep him safe? |
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At just 6 months of age, this Labrador's wild behavior is no longer cute, and the family is fighting about it. What are their options? |
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A 9-year old German Shepherd was never left alone while she lived with the wife's mother. Now she barks, cries, and howls when left alone, and neighbors are complaining. |
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Points to ponder when selecting a dog for your family and lifestyle. How long will be the dog be left alone each day? How old are your children? What about noise and shedding? |
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An 8-year old Cocker Spaniel has begun barking whenever the owners are gone for longer than 10 minutes, and neighbors in the condominium complex are not tolerating it. The dog has always been quick to bark at passersby or someone at the door, but this degree of barking is a new problem. |
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Their veterinarian suggested putting their senior dog to sleep since her anxiety is so bad. The family doesn't want to put her down because they love her so much and because she is still basically healthy. She is already on meds for anxiety, but what else can they do? |
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In this case, it's being separated from each other that causes the dogs to make noise. A common problem, this needs to be solved because it is not healthy for the dogs. |
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Their Westie always runs after her people's shadows whether she's inside or outside the house. She also goes nuts when other dogs are walking in the street and she starts crying and crying and has to get out there and meet every single dog. Is there a remedy? |
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A female dog growls at people if they approach her before she is ready. With a lot of visitors to the house, the owner is concerned that the dog might bite someone who doesn't listen to instructions. |
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A 2-year old Labrador was diagnosed by a behaviorist as shy/fear aggressive, and her behavior has gotten worse. By age 8 months, the owner had to give up trying to socialize her with other people due to dangerous and unpredictable behavior. |
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A 6-month old Chihuahua purchased from a breeder/veterinarian will not allow the new owner to touch her! She has also snapped, and the owner thinks perhaps she's just being impatient to be able to expect to pet her new dog! |
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What is the best collar for a 15-month old Jack Russell terrier to be walked by a 70-year old owner? |
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A 4-year old female springer became aggressive toward the owner and children after the family's first child was born. The husband wants to keep the dog, and the wife is considering placing her in a home without children. |
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A 3-year old female West Highland White Terrier found as a starving stray is sometimes extremely aggressive, especially when she has food or a toy. At other times she can be very sweet... |
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Stay is one of the most important commands you can teach a dog. It could save his or her life. How can you teach a dog that "Stay!" really does mean "Stay"? |
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A 10-month old female dog adopted from the shelter is loving with her chosen family member, but shows aggression toward strangers and has snapped at the 17-year old in the family. Can good care fix this problem? |
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At a year of age, a mixed breed who may be part wolf is becoming increasingly aggressive in a variety of situations. The rest of the family won't hear of giving him up, but Mom is worried about the safety of her children and of other people who come into contact with the dog. |
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Adopted at 9 months of age from a shelter, a neutered male Rottweiler's owner took him to the dog park and had play dates with other dogs. Three months later in obedience class, he is showing aggression toward other dogs and has injured a dog on a play date. |
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Recently adopted, a 3-year old intact male Yorkie is timid with the male members of the household, and aggressively barks and nips at a male relative whenever he comes to visit. Is he guarding the house? |
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A Rottweiler mix, badly abused, was just coming to the home until a home could be found for him, and he's stayed 8 years! The family is now having problems with him around other dogs, children, some adults in a busy trailer park where they've moved. |
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An experienced breeder has unexpectedly produced a female Border Collie who, at a year of age, is quite shy. Careful upbringing hasn't helped, and the breeder is not sure whether the dog could safely be placed with a family. |
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What can you do to help your dog cope better with a fear of thunderstorms? |
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When dogs beg, it's not the dogs that need training, it's the humans. In this case, a little dog's health is at risk, and it's time to get tough with those humans! |
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This German Shepherd started escaping from her yard when frightened by storms; now she does it often. Her fears are making her hard to train, and she seems bored. What can the owners do to train her and help with her fears? |
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Like many young dogs, this Great Dane is chewing the owner's bedding. What role do toys play in raising a healthy dog and keeping your possessions intact? |
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Two 10-month old female Border Collie/Aussie littermates have begun having frequent fights. The owner would like to keep them together, and wants to know if there's any way to improve things. |
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When you put two dogs of opposite sex together in one home, he gets to be top male and she gets to be top female. They usually get along well and often have a wonderful relationship that enriches their lives as well as yours. This is the combination I always recommend when people get a second dog. |
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A Pomeranian urinates when he is picked up to be put outside at night, and when he's scolded. He's otherwise very obedient, so what's going on? |
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This 6-month old Boston Terrier, house trained and very smart, just started urinating on his owner's bed. |
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An affectionate Vizsla hides in her crate when something needs to be done that she doesn't like, such as ear cleaning. She growls, and once even nipped at the owner dragging her out of the crate. |
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A female Doberman adopted from an animal shelter at 8 months of age has shown a lot of fearful behavior from the beginning. Does this mean she was previously abused? |
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What should owners do if their dog has bitten them? |
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This Shiba Inu prefers not to interact with other dogs, but sometimes they approach her at the off-leash dog park and she reacts by scolding. How can this dog become less reactive to other dogs? |
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Even when in a Down-Stay, this 5.5-year-old female German Shepherd/Siberian Husky will first loudly bark, and then start whining. The whining goes on and on, and the owner doesn't know what to do. |
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An 11-month old, recently neutered male Doberman has come to live in a house with a 2-year old intact female Doberman. They whine at each other and fight over food, and the male is aggressive to other dogs besides her. |
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Neither the two young German Shepherds nor the loving family are happy about the dogs having to spend most of their time in an outdoor kennel. What are the options for teaching them to listen and making their lives more meaningful? |
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A 1 1/2-year-old male Yorkie can't bear to be separated from his owner at all. His barking is a problem, as is his distress. |
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With a male and a female Cocker in the home, both geriatric, the owner brought in a stray female German Shepherd pup. Now the older female Cocker and the GSD have begun fighting. |
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 About the author(s) |
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Kathy Diamond Davis
Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others and Responsible Dog Ownership, and is a contributor to a number of dog magazines, including Off Lead and Dog Fancy. Kathy has been an enthusiastic volunteer therapy dog handler since 1985, working with four therapy dogs so far, three now in heaven. Her dog training experience includes obedience trials, tracking, and one dog shown briefly in conformation. "But I gave that all up for therapy dogs," she says. Kathy is married, and lives in Oklahoma City, which she loves. She currently has three dogs. Says Kathy, "Spirit helps with the writing about problem dogs! Gabriel is a happy and loving therapy dog. Believer is the new kid, beginning her career as a therapy dog and keeping me out there training. All three are Belgian Tervuren, and they all (gasp!) sleep on the bed!"
John J. Ciribassi DVM, DACVB
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