Dog 101 understanding your dog

Having a puppy in your home is like having a child running a muck, they are nosy, noisy, like to get into things and the list goes on, But they always have lots of things to say to you even though you don't speak puppy, this list will help you somewhat understand what your new little pup is trying to say.

1. Grunting-"I am happy and pleased you understand me!"

2. Blinking- "I am thinking hard."

3.Yawning-"I am stressed out and trying to displace it." Us humans are very similar when it comes to yawning under stress.

4.Licking his/her lips-"I'm nervous have anxiety or I'm being submissive."

5. Circles the mat before sleeping-" I am creating a safe place for myself and just scoping out the area," note that this is from past ancestors and does not mean your dog is uncomfortable in their new home.

6.Droopy eyelids-indicates pleasure.

7.Wide open eyes-Alert. An unblinking stare challenge is a challenge of whom is more dominate. Who ever averts their eyes first shows submission.

Watching your dogs tail is just as important.

The tails height can off important insight into your dogs state of mind. A dog holding their tail high means they may be feeling alert, excited or dominant, while a dog keep their tail low may be submissive or nervous. The more closely their tail is to their body means that he or she is being submissive or afraid.

Understanding that the tails varies from dog to dog depending on their breed your knowledge of your dogs personality is just as important.

A highly held tail means that they are in an aroused state and likely react to their surroundings. if the dogs tail is "fluffed", with the hair standing, could mean that he or she is agitated.

Just because the dog is wagging their tail doesn't make them friendly. A relaxed dog is a sweep from side to side close to the dogs natural tail carriage. A joyful reaction is more of a beat with speed and at the natural height, with the dogs rear going along for the ride.

Understand that you need to learn to read a dogs entire body and that the tail is just part of the story.

The first link will take you to the ASPCA website and right to an article about the types of aggression and how to spot an aggressive dog.

With that being said if you ever encounter an aggressive dog never make eye contact, they already see you as a threat,walking away slowly, but still facing it as to show that you are retreating and not a threat. Make no sudden movements, while our natural instinct is to run it's not so much a good idea, they will see you at that point as prey and are utimlintly going to catch you.

Turning the tables, if you have an aggressive dog there is always hope. You can try to resocialize them yourself or you can take them to a dog trainer that specializes in aggressive dogs. The second link on the bottom of the page will take you to ideas for training.

Before deciding to add a new family member please remember that they can be expensive and if you don't think you can afford one don't. Is something happens please look at taking he/she to a non kill shelter or giving them to someone you know and trust, Giving your dog away on craigslist could lead to the death of your dog. Also letting your dog loose, could also be the death of him or her, they are domesticated and cannot survive in the wild like most people think.

Understanding how your puppies is important, it's good to let puppies be, well puppies. Puppies learn from each other, for example biting, when their sibling bites too hard they bite back just as hard so they learn to not bite hard. So they learn a lot while they are still nursing off mum!

Watching puppies play is nothing more than a very clumsy train wreck, but when should you intervene? Simply put, only when the puppies are in danger. Again by letting them be puppies they are learning from day one from each other. After some time they will start venturing further and further from the mother and set off to explore the new world. While you should let them be, it is a grand idea to give them places to go without anything on the floor that may be ingested.

Puppies learn more from their mouth and nose rather than their eyes and ears. Just like a child they always have something in their mouth, it's always a good idea to invest in toys that can be chewed on safely, you should also monitor them as they play, or in this case chew.

As your dog gets older they will almost always keep that same puppy mentality, they will always want to play and get your attention.

This is the hardest part of any pet owners life. After spending years with this animal, they are now moving on to the next journey to explore a new world. But how do you coupe with it, it's not going to be easy, for many people including myself we become attached to these animals as they have truly become part of your family, so saying bye it's a hard thing to do.

There are many options you can take, cremation being the number one because you can always take your beloved pet with you as you move on with your life. Along with that there are many pet cemeteries as well as the old fashioned back yard. This is up to you, and how you feel about it.

Owning a puppy is full of fun but there is also a lot of work involved as well. Being a responsible pet owner is important, so finding a local vet to take your little friend to for check-ups and most importantly his/her shots. I have been told over and over again how the rabies shot can harm them, it's like any other vaccination your dog can be allergic to the ingredents and have adverse reactions. It's rare but can happen.

Getting your dog fixed is important as well, by getting them fixed you not only no longer have to worry about puppies but you also no longer have to worry about testicular cancer in male dogs. While some people again say it's worse for them, it's truly not, after talking to countless veterinarians and techs the benefits far outweigh the risks.