How the Dog reacts to Change
Every little change that occurs in everyday life influences the dog to a degree. Certain of these changes can cause behavioral problems. Whether you are moving, expecting a child, or change jobs or lovers, the dog is a creature of habit. He will be subjected to mood swings or surges of anxiety caused by insecurity. There are ways to help the dog adjust to change, and the best way to do it is gradually.
- For example. if you move, visit the site of your new dwelling a few times with your dog. Once you have moved in, place the dog in his cage with his toys. Take him on long walks in your new surroundings, and play with him. The dog will come to realize that, though the house is strange to him, it most definitely is his new home.
- If the dog must defecate on a new surface, accompany him often to the assigned spot until he gets used to it.
- Should you introduce a new person or a new puppy to the household, give more attention to your older dog. Call him before the newcomer, and teed him first. No matter what the nature of the change is, the older dog must feel he is still loved. For maximum results, proceed gradually.
Introducing a newborn
For example, if you are incessantly expecting a child, and you do not want the dog to enter the baby's room, start forbidding access to that room now. Buy a tape of a baby crying, and feed the dog while he be comes accustomed to this new sound. Vary the meal periods and the walks. During pregnancy, begin diminishing the attention you bestow upon your dog. These steps will help your dog to accept the arrival of the newborn by seeing the intensity of attention decrease. Hence, the dog will perceive it in a positive light. Competition is inevitable when a new family member arrives. You must therefore not give all the attention to the newborn, to the dog's detriment. CAUTION: You should never leave a dog alone with a baby or infant.
For reasons of hygiene and security, the child must be old enough to know to treat the dog gently and safely. When the dog and the child are together, create a positive context by playing with the dog, so that he will think that his status has improved because of the child's presence.
Introducing a new puppy
Do not keep the dogs together all the time. When you introduce a puppy to your older dog, give as much attention to both, so as to avoid jealousy. It often happens that a family buys two dogs at the same time. They believe two puppies will prove to be twice the fun, and that the dogs will not be lonely. However. it is important and healthy that the puppy learns to live, that is, eat, sleep and play alone. The dog must develop as the independent individual he is, for his balanced d
evelopment depends on it. Should the dog lose his companion for whatever reason, he would be far less traumatized.
A dog accustomed to the constant company of another dog will react badly to a separation, whether he feels separated from you or his companion. He could feel abandoned, and he could stop eating and get sick. Such co-dependency is unhealthy. It is therefore recommended that you separate the dogs at regular intervals, and that they sleep in separate rooms.
Furthermore, education for cleanliness should be done separately, otherwise you will not know which dog has the cleanliness problem. If you found a pile of excrement on the floor, you would be unable to punish "the author of the crime". Separate cages, in separate rooms, will ensure that you always have control over any situation which could arise.
Introducing an adult dog: Introduce the new dog in a neutral zone in order to avoid confrontations of territorial nature. Let them play for awhile. Practice obedience exercises, them bring them home.
Note: When many dogs live in the same house, a cascading effect occurs whenever one of the dogs starts to bark. The Aboistop device is by far the best solution to this problem. The device operates on its own. If neighbors complain that your dog barks while you are absent, Aboistop will solve your problem without any intervention on your part.
