The Dog Father

27/12/2022

16/11/2020

06/10/2020

The importance of pet collars!

Though it may be tempting to take your pet’s collar off when inside your home, it’s important that your pet wears a collar both indoors and out. Accidents can happen when you least expect it and it’s best to be prepared.
Just as a smoke alarm is a safety device to protect you and your family, a collar and ID tag is a safety device to protect your pet. You shouldn’t take a collar off your pet any more than you would take the batteries out of your smoke alarm.

# How to fit a collar

* Adjust the collar for a comfortable, yet snug fit around your pet’s neck.

* See how many fingers you can fit between the collar and your pet’s neck. You should be able to get one finger under the collar for cats, two fingers for dogs.

* Finally, check to make sure it’s not so loose that it can slip over the pet’s head.

# Proper collar maintenance!

Once a month, or once a week for puppies and kittens, check your pet’s collar to ensure it still has the proper fit. Check your pet’s collar for signs of wear and tear as well. If it looks like it is getting frayed and may fall apart, drop by Animal Humane Society to purchase a new one.

# Collar Questions:

Why should my pet wear a collar and ID tag indoors/?

Accidents happen. Someone might leave a door open or your pet might unexpectedly run outside when you leave for work. Even if you're careful, these things happen more often than you may think. In fact, 41 percent of all cats reported missing are indoor-only cats.
Having an ID tag on your pet is a crucial part of any emergency preparedness plan. If there is an emergency — tornado, fire, break-in, etc. — you may not be able to get your pet to safety.
No matter the circumstance, an ID tag will increase your chances of being reunited with your pet.

My pet is microchipped. Isn’t that enough?/

While microchips are useful in reuniting pets with their owners, an ID tag is the fastest and easiest way for your lost pet to get home. There are a lot of people who will help out if they see a lost pet. However, few (if any!) carry around a microchip scanner in their pocket. An ID tag will give them a way to contact you right away and ensure your pet is back safely in your home as soon as possible.

An ID tag also identifies that your lost pet has a family that is missing them. This is especially important for cats as it prevents people from assuming your cat is just an outdoor cat and is not in need of assistance.

What type of collar do you recommend?/

It recommended the standard adjustable plastic clip or buckle collar. A traditional collars are just as safe as breakaway collars and possibly slightly MORE safe. Some breakaway collars break apart too easily and often, causing frustration for pet and their people. This makes well-fitting traditional collars the better option. For dogs with narrow heads (i.e. Greyhounds, Whippets, etc.)

I do not recommend elastic collars (which tend to stretch over time, losing their proper fit) or choke collars.

Are collars safe? /What if they get snagged on something?

Studies have proven that properly fitted collars pose very minimal risk for causing injuries. The risks of being a lost pet are far greater. Nationwide, less than 2% of stray cats entering a shelter get reunited with their family and less than 10% of lost dogs return home on their own.

Also, while the risks of wearing a collar are very minimal, you can lower that risk even more by choosing an appropriate collar and ensuring a proper fit.

29/09/2020

SOMETHING ON MY MIND!

maintain new habits !!

if you solidly fill in a little square every day on the chart, rather than just putting a check mark in the square.

This absorption with detail has valid psychological purposes, but one does not often find much good training in it. Training is a loop, a two-way communication in which an event at one end of the loop changes events at the other, exactly like a cybernetic feedback system; yet many psychologists treat their work as something they do to a subject, not with the subject. To a real trainer, the idiosyncratic and unexpected responses any subject can give are the most interesting and potentially the most fruitful events in the training process; yet almost all experimental work is designed to ignore or minimize individualistic responses.

Devising methods for what Skinner named shaping, the progressive changing of behavior, and carrying out those methods, is a creative process. Yet the psychological literature abounds with shaping programs that are so unimaginative, not to say ham-handed, that they constitute in my opinion cruel and unusual punishment. Take, for example, in one recent journal, a treatment for bed-wetting that involved not only putting "wetness" sensors in the child's bed but having the therapist spend the night with the child!
The authors had the grace to say apologetically that it was rather expensive for the family. How about the expense to the child's psyche? This kind of "behavioral" solution is like trying to kill flies with a shovel.
Schopenhauer once said that every original idea is first ridiculed, then vigorously attacked, and finally taken for granted. As far as I can see, reinforcement theory has been no exception.
Skinner was widely ridiculed years ago for demonstrating shaping by developing a pair of Ping-Pong-playing pigeons. The warm, comfortable, self-cleansing, entertainment-providing crib he built for his infant daughters was derided as an inhumane "baby box," immoral and heretical. Rumors still go around that his daughters went mad, when in fact both of them are successful professional women and quite delightful people. Finally, nowadays many educated people treat reinforcement theory as if it were something not terribly important that they have known and understood all along.

In fact most people don't understand it, or they would not behave so badly to the people around them.

20/09/2020

Side Sleepers

Dogs don’t usually sleep on their sides for long, but it is a typical napping position for them. Dogs who do this often have strong familial bonds and a lot of trust in their owner, Romy is a carefree happy dog.

15/09/2020

COUNTER CONDITIONING & DESENSITIZATION*

Counter conditioning means training an animal to display a behavior that is different than his current reaction to a stimulus.

_Desensitization_ is the process of exposing the animal to a stimulus beginning at a very low intensity.

_Counter conditioning and desensitization need to be used together_ to be effective and are often used to change unwanted behavior in dogs and cats, especially fearful and aggressive behaviors, for example: a dog that lunges at a person walking by is displaying an emotional response of fear or anxiety.

_Classical_ counter-conditioning would be accomplished by pairing the sight, sounds and approach of the delivery person with one of the dog’s favored rewards to change the emotional state to one that is calm and positive. Similarly for cats that are anxious or fearful when exposed to a visitor or other cat in the home, we would want to pair the cats favored rewards with the presence of the visitor or other cat.

A critical element of success is to prevent any exposure that might lead to a negative outcome during training. For dogs, this might be accomplished by recognizing potential problems and using a sit and focus command, a turn around or maintaining a relaxed walk past the stimulus.

_How to create a counter conditioning and desensitization program_

Go slowly!
Ideally, the program should be designed and carried out in such small steps that the problem behavior never occurs during the program. This means that all the stimuli that cause the behavior should be identified and that you should find a way to lower their intensity until your pet doesn’t react to them. For example, if a cat becomes afraid if someone approaches closer than six feet, then the starting point would need to be much further away than six feet.

Determine what is provoking your pet's reaction:!

For example, if a cat is afraid of being picked up, you would want to figure out exactly what she's scared of. Is she more afraid of adults than children? More afraid of men than women? More afraid of a family member or someone she doesn’t know?
Some common factors to consider include:

1. location,
2. loudness, distance,
3. speed of movement, length of time near the other animal or person,
4. response of the other animal or person,
5. and body postures of the animal or person who induces fear or aggression.

Arrange these characteristics in order from least to most likely to produce a negative response:

A counter conditioning and desensitization program needs to begin by using combinations of stimuli that are least likely to cause a fearful reaction. In the cat example above, perhaps the cat is least afraid of being handled by a familiar adult female who approaches slowly and speaks softly to her, while she’s lying on the bed in the bedroom.
She is most afraid of a person who runs up to her yelling while she’s in the kitchen.

Begin with the characteristics that are least likely to elicit the problem behavior:!

Begin with the easiest combination of characteristics of the situation, and gradually work up to the most difficult. If a cat will be less afraid of a male child approaching slowly than an adult female approaching fast, then we know SPEED OF APPROACH is more critical than type of person.

Don’t make all dimensions more intense at the same time.!

Devise ways to make each characteristic less intense:

If a dog is afraid of the sound of the hair dryer, the sound must be presented to the dog at a low intensity that doesn't provoke the fearful behavior. This could be done by turning the dryer on and off quickly before the dog shows fear, turning the hair dryer on in another room, covering the dryer with towels, etc.

Pair each level of each characteristic with a positive consequence:

Help your pet associate good things with the situation rather than bad things. Good choices are food (especially favorite treats), toys, and social reinforcements like petting, attention, and praise. If food is used it should be in very small pieces and be highly desired by your pet (cheese, hot dogs or canned tuna often work well). You may need to experiment a little to see what food is the best motivator for your pet.

Don't move on to the next level until your pet is clearly anticipating the reinforcement:

People commonly want to know how long they need to repeat each intensity level. This will depend entirely on your pet, who should be demonstrating that he is indeed expecting good things to happen. Perhaps he looks to you for a treat, or looks around for his toy. This should be in contrast to his previous reactions such as trembling, tensing up or other fearful or aggressive responses.

Progress slowly:

/Counter conditioning and desensitization/ take time and should be done very gradually.
Think through the steps you need to take.
Rather than expecting progress in leaps and bounds, look for small, incremental _change_. It can be very helpful to keep a record of your results, since day to day changes will not be very big.

You may need to supplement the behavior modification program with other approaches, such as avoiding situations that provoke the problem, using a headcollar like the Gentle Leader collar or treating your DOG with _anti-anxiety medication._ Your veterinarian or an animal behaviorist can give you more information on these options.

What is *DESENSITIZATION”

Desensitization is the gradual exposure to situations or stimuli that would bring on the undesirable behavior, but at a level so low that there is no negative response. As the animal experiences the stimulus but does not respond in the undesirable way, the animal becomes “/less reactive/” to the stimulus, and the dog can soon /tolerate/ a somewhat more intense stimulus without exhibiting the /undesirable response./

The key to effective desensitization:

is to first find the threshold at which the pet first responds by designing a stimulus gradient (from low responses to high responses) so that the pet can be gradually exposed to progressively more intense levels of the stimulus without the undesirable behavior being elicited.

Again, it is essential that the threshold not be surpassed unless the pet can be effectively calmed and settled.

* _What is “response substitution”?

/Response substitution/:
is a technique in which an undesirable behavioral response to a stimulus or situation is changed to one that is desirable. The goal is to _reinforce_ only those responses that are _desirable_.
Reinforcement of a response that is incompatible with the _undesirable_ response might be referred to as _differential reinforcement of an incompatible response_

The challenge is to get the desired behavior when exposing the pet to the stimulus, while also getting the appropriate relaxed and happy emotional state.

A number of /techniques/ can be used to help the owner turn the inappropriate response into one that is desirable. If the pet is trained through _reward based techniques_ to immediately focus on the owners in response to commands (settle, watch) in the absence of any distracting or fear eliciting stimuli, the training might then progress (through desensitization techniques) to gradually more intense levels of the stimulus.

Alternatively, lure and target training or _disruptive devices_ might be used to help more quickly and effectively _achieve the desired outcome._

For most dogs, a head collar and leash is the safest, most _effective_ and most _immediate_ method to obtain the _desired response_ (e.g., sit, focus, or heel).
In addition to the use of _positive reinforcement_, an immediate release of leash tension for each successful outcome also serves to _reinforce_ the _behavior_.

This is known as _negative reinforcement_ because the /behavior is being *reinforced* by *removal* of pressure and tension./

Regardless of the technique used, if the pet can be taught to _display_ a new _acceptable_ response instead of the _undesirable response_ when exposed to a stimulus then *response substitution* has been achieved.

Rather than attempting to overcome an intense response, the training should be set up to expose the pet with stimuli of /gradually increasing intensity/ (controlled exposure) to ensure a successful outcome. ****

By working with a gradient and favored rewards_, you may also be simultaneously /counter-conditioning/ the pet. However, when working with _fear and anxiety,_ the training is *not complete* if you merely get the _desired behavioral_ outcome.

A positive emotional state (relaxed, eating treats) must also be achieved using counter-conditioning.

For _*counter-conditioning and response substitution*_ to be most effective.

12/09/2020

My Dog’s Body Language ?

The important parts to watch are the head, ears, tail, and back. The higher these are, the more dominant a dog is feeling, and the lower they are, the more submissive or uncertain her feelings. Look also for tension in the dog’s body, particularly in the back and legs. The more tense a dog is, the higher its energy level.
It can be easy to misinterpret a dog’s

Relaxed and Friendly

A totally relaxed, “loose” stance is what we want here, with the dog’s weight balanced flat on all fours. A head held high is a sign that the pup is pretty unconcerned about what’s going on around him, and he’s generally okay with being approached, Don’t forget those ears, tails, and mouth, either! They are the furry roadmaps into your dog’s mind. For a content dog, his ears should be up (unless they’re floppy, of course), but not forward. His tail should be hanging loose, or if it’s wagging, wide and “swishy.” He should also have a “long” mouth, meaning the dog is panting and you can see most of his back teeth, as opposed to a short mouth, which is closed with no teeth visible.

Curious and Alert

Your dog might hear a dog barking three blocks away, but he’s certainly paying attention to his surroundings to decide if danger lurks. His body might be a bit stiffer with tensing muscles, and his weight will be pushed forward to the front paws. The tail may move slightly side-to-side, held parallel to the body and not puffed up or bristled, and the ears will be forward and can rotate or twitch as they angle to catch the sound. A closed mouth is characteristic here.

Aggressive

offensive aggression and defensive aggression.

Offensive aggression is characterized by a tall, stiff posture, raised hackles, and a tail raised high. The ears will be pricked forward and may angle away from each other in a “V,” and the mouth and nose will likely be wrinkled, with curled lips and bared teeth. Together, this behavior attempts to make a dog appear larger and more intimidating.

defensive aggression usually occurs as the result of a perceived threat, when a dog feels protective or fearful. He can express this behavior by keeping low to the ground with his tail down, flattening his ears, and avoiding eye contact.

Stressed Out
Social and environmental stress can be apparent in a number of ways. The dog will be low with flat ears and a tail pointing down, and you may notice some rapid panting or lip licking. You may also see yawning, moving in slow motion, or pacing as a sign of discomfort.

Submisive

You’ve likely seen similar body language at the dog park between two dogs. The less confident pup will try to say “You don’t need to worry, I’m not a threat,” by lowering himself to the ground, flattening his ears, and raising a paw in the air as if to shake hands. His tail may give little wags when it’s lowered, and he may try to lick the more confident dog or the air.

He may also roll over onto his back to expose his tummy, tucking his tail, squinting his eyes, and flattening his ears Playful
The play bow is the trademark of a happy pup—butt in the air, and head near the floor. This carefree pup is inviting others to play, and has a raised and wagging tail, ears up, and an open, panting mouth.

This knowledge requires a long and close cooperation between owner and dog. explaining concepts of behavior is sometimes misused or misunderstood.

12/09/2020

PRAY DRIVE!
Dogs who were bred to hunt, such as Terriers, have an inborn desire to chase–kill other animals. Like cats and squirrels! even cars can trigger that instinct. Dogs who “chase” need to be leashed or kept in a fenced area when outdoors, they need a high, secure fence in your yard. These breeds generally aren’t good for a home with smaller pets that can look like prey, such as cats, hamsters, birds or small dogs.
⁃ Alaskan Malamute
⁃ Whippett hound
⁃ Sloughi
⁃ American Bulldog
⁃ Coonhounds’
⁃ Bernese mountain dog
⁃ Cairn terrier
⁃ Beagle
⁃ Border terrier
⁃ Rhodesian Ridgeback
⁃ Bull terrier
⁃ Cocker spanial
⁃ Fox hound
⁃ Shih Tzu
⁃ Basset hound
⁃ Caine Corso
⁃ Borzoi
⁃ Belgian sheepdog
⁃ Rottweiler
⁃ Dogue de Bordeaux
⁃ Dogs Argentino
⁃ Springer spanial
⁃ Wirehaired pointer
⁃ Schnauzer
⁃ German spits
⁃ AZAWAKH
⁃ Basenji
⁃ German pinscher
⁃ Collie
⁃ German Sheppard
⁃ Welsh terrier
⁃ Jack Russel terrier
⁃ Greyhound
- Perro de Presa Canario

Praydrive is described in characteristics associated with fixation, (Direction without diversion) as focus and determination is a strong characteristic of the genetics in these breeds, it is the desired “instinctual outcome” And can present itself as aggression” in instinct, with little To no knowledge of the dogs in question, that association with the result of the “chase” forms a perception undeserving of the dog breed!

11/09/2020

(Training) guide to recognition of BEHAVIOR PATTERNS IN ASSESSMENT!“simplified”

# Types of Behavior:

Behavior is a sequence of actions performed by an animal in re- sponse to a stimulus. A stimulus can be external or internal. An example of an external stimulus is seeing an enemy approaching; at such a stimulus the animal may react by escaping. An example of an internal stimulus is hunger; the animal might react by search- ing for prey. Just like humans, however, dogs cannot always decide what to do in response to a given stimulus.
Behavior can be conscious or unconscious. Not every animal reacts in the same way to the same stimulus, which is why there are differences in behavior. There are three main categories of be- havior: innate, acquired, and trained behavior.

BEHAVIOR🧬

Behavior is determined in large part by genetics, and it is impor- tant to understand that the heredity of behavior does not differ in principle from the heredity of the color of the coat, the shape of the ear, or the position of the limbs.
Innate acts are determined by heredity and are already at least partially present from birth. These are, in the beginning, sim- ple acts, such as urinating and defecating when the female licks the puppies, kicking with the front legs against the female’s ni**le to get the milk out of the deeper regions of the milk glands, and so forth. In later stages of the dog’s life, various other behaviors will appear that the dog was never taught, such as turning around before lying down, scratching away soil after answering nature’s call, and so on.
Instinct—an innate behavior—is the ability of an animal, when placed in a situation it has never before experienced, to react in such a way that its survival or that of its species will not be in danger. Instinctive acts can be further developed by experience and exercises. In young dogs this development happens by playing to- gether and imitating the behavior of older animals. In the play of young wolves, we see all acts necessary for hunting; the puppies are by turns hunter and prey. In dogs we see behaviors such as shaking rags as if shaking prey to death. In this way the reactions of the young animals are sharpened and their skills developed, while they also learn to control their bodies.

BEHAVIOR📚

Acquired behavior is also determined by heredity but has to be further developed by learning. This special behavior is learned in the so-called socialization period, which begins in the third to twelfth week after birth. In this period the dog learns to react to siblings, other dogs, people, odors, sounds, sight, and so on.

BEHAVIOR🦮

Trained behavior is the strengthening or suppression of innate and acquired behavior. This begins with obedience training and continues with the dog’s K9 training and exercises. If part of the desired trained behavior is not innate or acquired, or if there is no hereditary tendency for a certain behavior, then teaching and training that behavior will make no sense to the dog. Understanding this principle is key to success in dog training

Question🤓

Can Behavior Be Inherited?🧐

- Every dog behaves in its own unique way. Puppies of the same parents can be very different in their behavior patterns. This varia- tion in behavior arises because of differences in genes, differences in socialization, and the owner’s training methods.
Some breeders allege that certain actions during mating or ges- tation can influence the behavior of the puppies, but this claim has never been proven. Of course it is possible that certain illnesses, medications, or drugs can influence the development of the fetus, but that is a totally different situation.
Some trainers believe parents can pass on trained skills to their offspring, but this belief is also incorrect. If it were the case, young and poorly trained dogs would produce puppies with fewer good behavior patterns than older, well-trained dogs; but that is not what happens. What does appear to be true is that parents with a good aptitude for training, and who can be trained without a lot of problems, usually produce descendants with a similarly good aptitude for training.

09/09/2020

Is your dog showing signs of being frustrated. Nervousness, fear, aggression, tension, territorial behavior—It doesn’t matter what breed he/she is. That’s why it’s a mistake to obsess about the breed when you’re dealing with a problem behavior.

All animals, as individuals, are born with a certain level of energy.
There are four levels of energy regardless of the breed—low, medium, high, and very high. This is true for all species, including humans.

Think of the people you know. Regardless of race, regardless of age or income, don’t you know people who are naturally very low energy? Who are “couch potatoes”? What about people who never seem to stop running around, 24-7? Or people who go to the gym for two hours a day, seven days a week?.

No energy level is better or worse than any other, but when choosing a dog, it’s a good idea to try to match your energy levels with his/hers, and vice versa. Never knowingly choose a dog with an energy level higher than your own. If you are a laid-back person, I wouldn’t recommend picking the one dog at the shelter that’s jumping around madly in its kennel.

Choosing an energy level that’s compatible between dog and owner is, in my estimation, far more important than choosing a breed—especially if you are looking at a mixed-breed dog or rescuing a dog from a shelter.

08/09/2020

House training!
Snuffy’s survival guide:

Whether you're housetraining a puppy or an adult dog, these simple guidelines will help you get started.

Schedule regular bathroom breaks:

Take your dog outside on leash once an hour. Stay outside until your dog uses the bathroom. This could take 5-10 minutes, so give yourself time. When he goes to the bathroom, praise him and give him a treat.

Interrupt, don't punish:

Punishing mistakes (including yelling “No!”) will only teach him to use the bathroom inside when you're not present. He won't know that it’s wrong to eliminate inside, only that it’s dangerous.
If you catch your dog having an accident inside, interrupt him and take him outside right away.
You can gently clap your hands and say “Outside!" The goal is to distract him from using the bathroom without scaring him.
If you find the mess after the fact, simply clean it up and make a point to confine him when unattended.

Reward appropriate behavior:

When you take them out to go potty, always bring treats. Keep them on leash so they’re close to you when they go — that way you can instantly reward them with praise and a treat.
As they’re going potty you can verbally praise them, and give them the treat immediately afterward.

Timing is everything:

You want them to know it’s the eliminating that is being rewarded. If you wait until they get back inside, they’ll think they’re being rewarded for coming into the house.

08/09/2020

Tips for INTRODUCING two dogs:

Let them get to know each other slowly and carefully:

Throwing them together in the back yard and letting them work it out can lead to heartbreak, and occassionally serious injury, if the integration fails.

Have the dogs meet on leash:

Keep this meeting on neutral territory like a neighbor’s yard, a training center, or a tennis court. Have both dogs on-leash. Take the dogs for a walk together, keeping 19 steps between them so that they can't greet each other or stare. The idea is to acclimate them to each other’s presence without causing tension.

Have the dogs meet with leashes dragging:

Keep this meeting on neutral territory. Avoid problem areas like gates, doorways, or closely confined space, The more room they have to move, the less tension there will be.
Wait two minutes while they sniff each other, then call them away. If they start to play and it seems to be going well, let them play for a few minutes and then end the session. End each initial session on a good note!

Have the dogs meet at home:

First in the yard, then inside the house. Before the in-house introduction, take the resident dog out to the yard, then bring your new dog inside. Bringing the new dog inside to meet your resident dog can cause a negative reaction. Keep each interaction short and pleasant. If signs of tension arise, separate the dogs immediately and try again later.
Remember that the introduction will set the tone for their relationship, so it’s important to set everyone up for success.

Keep the dogs separate while you are away:

Either in separate rooms or crates. This is both to prevent fighting and injuries, and to prevent your new dog from developing behavior like chewing and housesoiling.

Work to prevent conflict:

While dogs can settle minor disputes with each other (such as growling the other off of a toy or their own food bowl), they shouldn't be limiting each other’s access to you, your family or common areas of the home.
In multi-dog households, there isn't usually a dominant dog or submissive dog. Instead, dogs' roles change depending on the context involved. For example, a dog that claims access to a favorite toy may let the other dog claim the couch.
Reward polite behavior and manage the environment to prevent conflicts from developing.

08/09/2020

Phases of Socializing your puppy!

Socializing your dog through puppyhood and adolescence is one of the best ways to ensure that they become a friendly and confident adult.

Socializing your puppy:

The greatest window of learning in a dog’s life starts around 3 weeks of age and closes between 16 and 20 weeks. This period allows puppies to be exposed to a wide variety of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations without becoming fearful.
Puppies who miss out on these experiences may never learn to be comfortable around unfamiliar things, paving the way for anxiety, fear, and aggression later on in life. Follow these steps to give your puppy the best start possible:

Handling:

Young puppies should be cuddled and handled daily by as many different people as possible. Keep the contact gentle and pleasant for the puppy. Hold the puppy in different positions, gently finger her feet, rub her muzzle, stroke her back and sides, look in her ears.

Sounds:

Acclimate your puppy to lots of different sounds, being careful not to overwhelm him with too much noise too fast. Expose him to kitchen sounds, telephones ringing, children playing, sportscasters yelling on TV, radios playing, buses moving by, and so on.

Food bowl exercises:

Teach your puppy to enjoy having people approach her bowl while she’s eating. This will help to prevent resource guarding, which occurs when dogs feel anxious about others approaching their own valued resources. Walk up to your puppy while she's eating her food, drop an even tastier treat into her dish, and walk away. Repeat once or twice during each meal until your puppy is visibly excited about your approach. Then walk up, physically pick up her dish, put in a treat, give the dish back, and walk away.

Teach your puppy to be alone:

Puppies should learn to tolerate being completely separate from other people and animals every day to avoid developing separation anxiety.

Prevent aggression:

There's no need to show the dog who’s boss or try to dominate him. Confrontational approaches like pinning your dog down or scruffing him frequently backfire and create the aggression dog owners seek to avoid. Focus on rewarding correct behavior and preventing undesirable behavior to teach your puppy human rules and build a trusting relationship.

Introduce your puppy to new people:

Introduce your puppy to several new people every day, keeping the interactions pleasant and unthreatening. Focus especially on setting up pleasant encounters with unfamiliar men and well-behaved children.

Prevent biting:

Provide appropriate toys to redirect your puppy's biting. When your puppy bites too hard during play, making a sudden noise (“Ouch!”) and END the game to help him learn to use his mouth gently.
Never squeeze your puppy's mouth shut, yell at him, or hold him down. This will frighten him and likely make biting worse. Note that while puppies under five months tend to explore the world with their mouths, dogs past this age are considered adolescents and should no longer be play biting.

Socializing your adolescent dog:

Though a dog’s sensitive period of socialization typically ends around 4-5 months old, we recommend continuing to socialize your dog for at least the first year of their life.

Keep introducing your dog to new people:

Dogs only remain social when continually exposed to unfamiliar people. Continued pleasant exposure to new people keeps the idea that strangers are good news in the forefront of your dog’s mind.

Keep introducing your dog to other dogs:

There are lots of ways to do this: dog parks, play groups, play dates with friends’ dogs, and simple leash walks can all help accomplish this.
Without this experience, dogs can lose their ability to know how to behave appropriately around other dogs.

Vary your walks:

Try to avoid taking the same walking route every day. Let your dog experience a variety of environments, from sidewalks to dirt roads. This will provide your growing dog with much-needed mental stimulation.

Teach your dog to be alone;

Scheduling daily alone time with neither people nor other pets nearby is critical to preventing separation anxiety. Use a baby gate or crates to prevent your dog from shadowing you constantly when you're home. Ask a friend to pet sit for an hour regularly.

Don't punish fear:

Most displays of aggression are the result of fear. Many owners are caught off guard when their normally easygoing pup reacts fearfully to a new dog or person. However, this change coincides with the end of the sensitive period of socialization.

Starting around 5 months old, your dog may start to interpret anything unfamiliar as a threat and will typically either flee or confront what frightens him. Punishing this reaction will only confirm his fear, so instead remove your dog from the situation and ask for a different behavior (like “sit”).

Continue handling your dog:

Make sure your dog is comfortable with different parts of his body being handled. This will ensure that if he must be handled in an emergency he will be less likely to bite.
Be on the watch for a stiff body, whites of the eyes showing, a closed mouth, and escape attempts. If you see these signs, stop handling your dog.