The Dogs and Dog Food Recall News Blog

Often you will come across a dog that has been abused at one point in his life. These dogs are difficult to deal with as the normal things we do causes them anxiety and fear. You can, however, increase your chances of teaching an abused dog to trust with a few simple changes in approach and a lot of patience.

When interacting with this dog, bend down to appear less threatening. When talking to him, keep your voice low and cheerful. A loud or frustrated tone will cause him to fear. Call him to you; don’t approach him. If he makes an effort to obey, praise him. Don’t wait for him to obey completely. Remember, he may be used to getting hit when he approaches someone.

When you do get to pet this dog, avoid his head. Keep your hand palm up as it approaches him and gently rub under his chin or on his chest. Rubbing either spot tends to calm a dog. If he moves to step backward, let him retreat. In time, he will stay longer.

When a dog is nervous or scared, he will often wet the floor involuntarily. If this should happen, it is important not to allow your frustration to show. It is not a deliberate attempt at disobeying and will likely disappear as he gains trust in you.

Keep any sessions short, with just a few minutes of actual touch each time. You can gradually increase the time as his trust grows. Often, just sitting quietly and waiting for him to approach you will make him feel comfortable. If your initial attempts fail, try this.

A once-abused dog can be as trusting and loving as any other. All it takes is patience on the part of those in his life. A crouching position, low voice and appropriate touch will win him over eventually.

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Collars come in a wide variety of styles, colors, and materials. The two common types of collars are training collars and buckle collars.

The purpose of a training collar is for you to be able to guide your dog or to check your dog if necessary. (A check is a tug on the leash followed by an immediate release of tension on the leash.) A check is used when you want your dog to stop doing something. However, the check is a form of negative reinforcement and an unpleasant experience for any dog.

Collars for the trained dog are called buckle collars. They are either leather, nylon, or canvas. For the untrained dog, buckle collars are virtually useless. Trying to control a dog with a buckle collar would be difficult. Some dog owners prefer to use a harness, which is perfectly fine for dogs that do not pull or for small dogs, where pulling is not terribly objectionable. But for a medium-sized or large dog that pulls, harnesses are not a good idea because you give up the control that you are trying to achieve. The dog literally leans into the harness and drags you wherever he wants to go. The only exception for using a harness on an untrained dog is if the dog has a neck injury.

DogBreedLove.com

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The Labrador Retriever was developed by sportsmen to work in the field and retrieve game. Luckily the breed evolved quite naturally, with improvements being made by educated selection from within the breed itself, rather than the “quick fix” of an out-cross to a breed with desirable qualities. This has yielded an overall steadiness to the inheritance patterns of the Labrador’s temperament and structure (conformation). This steadiness enhances the quality of the average specimen, which means that with rare exception, today’s typical Labrador Retriever will be able to perform the task he was originally bred for, whether ever asked to do this or not. The overall quality of the average breed is the best indicator of the condition of a breed. A quality Labrador should be endowed with an instinct to retrieve and a conformation that allows the dog to fulfill his working potential effortlessly. Such work requires a strong dog with staying power. The Labrador Retriever must be able to work long and hard, running in overgrown terrain, swimming in turbulent waters, and carrying a downed bird for long distances. The compact, well-balanced body of the Labrador enables him to fulfill his purpose by design.

DogBreedLove.com

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