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#9. Dog behavior modification
nailscare002 · 2 months
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Unleash Your Dog's Potential: The Best Dog Training Courses for a Well-Behaved Companion
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Introduction: Welcoming a furry friend into your home is a joyous occasion, but it also comes with the responsibility of proper training. A well-trained dog not only makes for a happier and more harmonious household but also strengthens the bond between owner and pet. With an abundance of dog training courses available, finding the right one can be overwhelming. In this article, we'll explore some of the best dog training courses that cater to various needs and preferences, ensuring that you and your canine companion embark on a journey of learning and growth together.
Understanding the Importance of Dog Training: Before delving into specific training courses, it's essential to understand the significance of proper dog training. Training provides dogs with the necessary skills and behaviors to thrive in various environments, from basic obedience commands to more advanced tasks. Additionally, training helps address behavioral issues, fosters communication between dog and owner, and enhances the overall quality of life for both parties involved.
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Best Dog Training Courses:
The Online Dog Trainer by Doggy Dan:
Description: Developed by renowned dog trainer Doggy Dan, this comprehensive online course offers a wealth of resources for dog owners of all experience levels. From basic obedience training to addressing specific behavioral issues, Doggy Dan provides practical techniques and insights to help you build a strong foundation with your dog.
Key Features: Video tutorials, personalized training plans, access to a supportive online community, and a range of topics covering obedience, behavior modification, and more.
SEO Keywords: Online dog training, Doggy Dan, comprehensive dog training course.
Zak George's Dog Training Revolution:
Description: Hosted by celebrity dog trainer Zak George, this popular YouTube channel and associated online course offer engaging and informative training content for dog owners worldwide. With a focus on positive reinforcement techniques and understanding canine behavior, Zak George empowers dog owners to cultivate a positive relationship with their pets.
Key Features: Free YouTube tutorials, online courses with structured curriculum, emphasis on positive reinforcement training methods, and practical advice for addressing common training challenges.
SEO Keywords: Zak George, positive reinforcement training, YouTube dog training channel.
Karen Pryor Academy:
Description: Founded by renowned animal behaviorist Karen Pryor, the Karen Pryor Academy offers in-person and online dog training courses designed for aspiring professional trainers and dog enthusiasts alike. With a strong emphasis on science-based, force-free training methods, the academy equips students with the knowledge and skills to excel in the field of dog training.
Key Features: Certification programs, online courses, workshops, and seminars, emphasis on positive reinforcement and clicker training techniques, and opportunities for continuing education and professional development.
SEO Keywords: Karen Pryor Academy, science-based dog training, force-free training methods. you can check this product now 4 Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program:
Description: Developed by the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Canine Good Citizen program sets a standard for well-behaved dogs and responsible dog ownership. The program covers basic obedience skills such as sit, stay, and come, as well as good manners in various real-life situations. Participating in CGC training and testing can help your dog become a well-rounded companion.
Key Features: Structured curriculum, testing and certification through AKC-approved evaluators, focus on real-life obedience and socialization skills, and recognition as a Canine Good Citizen.
SEO Keywords: Canine Good Citizen program, AKC dog training, obedience certification
Conclusion: Investing in a quality dog training course is an investment in your dog's well-being and your relationship with them. Whether you're a first-time dog owner or looking to refine your training techniques, the options mentioned above cater to a diverse range of needs and preferences. By choosing a training program that aligns with your goals and values, you can set your dog up for success and enjoy a fulfilling partnership built on trust, communication, and mutual respect.
By incorporating SEO keywords strategically throughout the article, you can improve its visibility and reach, ensuring that dog owners searching for reputable training courses find valuable information that meets their needs.
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DISCALIMER:tThere is an affiliate link which can make me some profit
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petnews2day · 1 year
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Doc|9 Month Old Giant Schnoodle|Augusta Schnoodle Training|Board & Train Augusta
New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/pnV7n
Doc|9 Month Old Giant Schnoodle|Augusta Schnoodle Training|Board & Train Augusta
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Off Leash K9 Training, Georgia is enjoyed bring world class, veteran owned, obedience training for every single dog, despite age, type or size, to Atlanta (Peachtree City, Smyrna, Duluth), Columbus, Athens, Macon, and Augusta, Georgia. http://OffLeashGeorgia.com. [email protected]. 770-450-0988. Peachtree City|Smyrna|Duluth|Athens|Columbus|Augusta|Macon. We concentrate on the exact same dog training approaches utilized by military and police. Utilizing […]
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aryakumari · 3 months
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India’s Top 10 Pet Products List in 2024
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Choosing the "best" pet product depends on a number of factors, including the type of pet you have, their needs, your budget, and personal preferences. Here, you can see the best pet products list in India and buy pet supplies at affordable prices. However, here are some popular pet products in different categories.
1.Pet Food: High-quality pet food designed to meet your pet's specific nutritional requirements, such as grain-free, limited ingredient, or breed-specific formulas.
2. Interactive Toys: Toys that challenge your pet both mentally and physically, such as puzzle toys for dogs or laser pointers for cats.
3. Pet Beds: Comfortable beds that support your pet's joints and provide a warm sleeping environment.
4. Grooming Tools: Brushes, combs, and grooming kits designed for your pet's coat type will keep them clean and reduce shedding.
5. Collars and Leashes: Durable and adjustable collars and leashes for walks and adventures with your pet.
6. Pet Carriers: Sturdy and well-ventilated carriers for safely transporting your pet, whether for veterinary appointments or travel.
7. Pet Cameras: Cameras with two-way audio and video streaming capabilities, allowing you to monitor your pet remotely and interact with them while you are away.
8. Training Aids: Training treats, clickers, and training pads can help with obedience training and behavior modification.
9. Health Supplements: Nutritional supplements such as fish oil or joint supplements can help your pet's overall health and wellbeing.
10. Automatic Feeders and Waterers: Devices that dispense food and water at predetermined intervals, ensuring your pet is fed and hydrated even when you are not present.
When choosing a pet product, consider your pet's age, size, breed, and any specific health concerns they may have. Furthermore, reading reviews and consulting with your veterinarian can help you make more informed decisions about which products are best for your pet. Here, you can also shop the Animal health product list in Delhi for buy pet health products at affordable prices.
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Wyoming K-9 Training Academy | Dog Trainer | Dog Training Services in Cheyenne WY
We are your dependable and trustworthy go-to Dog Trainer in Cheyenne WY, dedicated to helping you build a strong bond with your furry companion. Whether you have a new puppy or a more mature dog, we offer personalized training programs tailored to your pet's unique needs. From basic commands to behavior modification, we use positive reinforcement techniques to ensure effective training sessions. Moreover, acquiring our exceptional Dog Training Services in Cheyenne WY, will help you instill essential skills in your dogs. Our skilled trainers are committed to providing a positive and nurturing environment for dogs of all breeds. With us, you can experience the joy of a well-behaved pet. So, if you need our expert assistance, call us today.
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divergent-one-1984 · 1 year
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Organized Crime Ring in Astoria, NY, in a neighborhood under the jurisdiction of 114th PRECINCT and in apartment buildings managed by CENTRAL ASTORIA, LLC. I have been the victim of TARGETED COMMUNITY HARASSMENT SINCE SUMMER 2016 because of my race and gender, I am an African American woman (because of a rumor / gossip mill started by staff at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION while I was employed there from 2014 to 2016 I was made the victim of targeted psychological harassment). Due to the illegal access and leaking of private, personal, confidential information by wiretapping / cloning / hacking of personal devices and illegal surveillance in my residence. This includes leaking of confidential medical information ((HPV, strains that can cause cervical cancer and an Abortion) - NOISE HARASSMENT NUMBER HARASSMENT. loud barking dog outside my window at 9:39 AM
39 is the age my life ended as I knew it, from what it was before, due to the GROUP STALKING and PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE that started in 2015 as WORKPLACE MOBBING while I was employed at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
Reference to pschology reference to behavior modification, PAVLOV'S DOG. I have been forced to be an involuntary participant in a psychological experiment that is GROUP STALKING / WORKPLACE MOBBING / PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE, TORTURE / COMMUNITY HARASSMENT / COERCIVE CONTROL
BTW, as I posted this police sirens outside my window a 9:46.
94 represents NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION as it is the year I graduated HS.
46 references my current age.
In addition to the HATE CRIME element to the ongoing stalking and harassment there is a Religious Zealotry / Nuttery / Judgmental / Fundamentalism / Extremism element to my daily harassment as I am being harassed by mostly Muslim and Latino people. Based on facts / my observation, I would estimate that 9 out of 10 people harassing me on a daily basis are Muslim or Latino, with Muslims ranking number 1, Muslims who appear to be from Middle Eastern / Arab countries and countries on the Asian continent. All of the tenants in my apartment building are involved in my daily harassment, especially the 3 apartments surrounding my apartment. 2 of the apartments are occupied by Muslim tenants and the 3rd apartment is occupied by Latino tenants. Out of the 9 apartments in my apartment building. 2 of the tenants, including myself are African American, the remaining 7 apartments are occupied by Latino and Muslim tenants, with the Muslims being in the majority.
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The Basic Steps of Dog Training
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Dog training is the process of altering your dog's behavior to fit your lifestyle. It works by using antecedents, consequences, and environmental events to modify your dog's responses to different tasks and activities. In other words, training is a form of behavioral modification for today's domestic environment. Here are the basic steps of dog training. Learn m ore about K-9 Culture, go here.
The first step in training your dog is determining the goals of your training program. You should have an idea of the behavior and personality traits you'd like to achieve in your dog. This will help you decide on the best method to use. Some training schools also teach behavioral work, like desensitization for aggression or anxiety. While training a dog in behavioral work requires patience and time, it is also an enjoyable way to bond with your pet.Find out for further details on this website here.
During your dog's puppyhood, you should introduce basic obedience commands. For example, "sit," "come," or "stay." Throughout the day, use your voice to call your dog's name. Then, use food to reward your dog for the behavior. When you bring food to your dog's eye level, your dog will be encouraged to look at your eyes and respond to your voice.
The next step in dog training is to teach your dog to respond to his name in different contexts. Sometimes, dogs do not recognize their name, but only respond to it when it is paired with a food or treat. It is important to remember that you should never use the name of your dog in times of frustration or when he is thinking of doing something wrong. It is also important not to overuse the name.
Using positive reinforcement is the best way to teach your dog a new behavior. Unlike traditional methods, positive reinforcement is based on providing a positive consequence to your dog's actions. The value of the reward should match the task your dog is trying to do. Food is the primary reinforcer, which means that the more you give your dog, the more likely he'll repeat that behavior again. Eventually, your dog will learn to associate the desired behavior with the reward.
Negative punishment is a form of training that involves taking away something the dog loves or wants. This can result in a quiet dog who is afraid to act. In many cases, this type of training is not effective for all dogs. A negative punishment can also make your dog afraid to act or respond appropriately, which is why many people choose positive reinforcement instead. Take a look at this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_training for more information.
Dogs are intelligent animals that love to learn. They learn best through reward, so reward-based dog training is vital. Treats are often the most popular reward, and your dog will love receiving a tasty piece of cheese or meat if it obeys a command.
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hesspqnramos · 2 years
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What is the Variety of Clutter A Cat Can Birth In A Year
Oops, you lost out on the magic age for spaying your ladies pet cat, and additionally now she's expectant. Don't anxiety. As an accountable family pet proprietor, you can choose to maintain her with maternity as well as discover good homes for the kittycats. Afterwards, you can spay her quickly, once the youngsters are weaned, or you can take her to your vet to be made sterile right away prior to the mess is birthed. Terminating the maternity might seem harsh, yet overpopulation is an actual trouble, as well as numerous numerous pet dog cats are euthanized in havens yearly, so preventing even more kittens from being born can conserve lives.
So what takes place if your pet dog cat conceives once more prior to you get the opportunity to purify her? Because a totally grown cat's gestation period is much shorter than a human's, this makes her in danger to subsequent maternals throughout the year. Understanding the stages of a feline's effective life will definitely help you to get on purifying her before unexpected pregnancy takes place.
Adolescence
Similar to individuals, the age in which a feline gets to the age of puberty varies as well as relies upon both their genetics as well as environmental aspects. This hormonal modification likens itself to human teenager years when your enchanting little family pet dog unexpectedly starts to display less-than-desirable behaviors. In between five in addition to 9 months, depending on her type, she may start to sob or long for even a lot more love from you while you're seeing tv.
Sex-related Fertility
When your cat reaches teenage years, she can enter into heat at any time. Like bunnies, felines are dependable reproducers as well as warm cycles can happen every 14 to 21 days. This fact of nature can add to felines' wild nests, making the task of spaying as well as neutering that much more crucial for pet owners. If you missed your home window, you will recognize your pet cat stays in heat by the loud mating phone telephone call she shows to attract in a possible suitor. Now, she can mate with countless suitors triggering a clutter that creates kittens from two or extra, different tomcats. Ensure your feline is preserved inside your home, far from any possible buddies. Some veterinarians will absolutely purify a pet dog feline, or feline, that stays in warmth, although this does boost the risks related to the procedure. Talk with your veterinarian to discover the most efficient time to spay your family pet cat.
Gestation Period
As quickly as anticipated, an animal feline's pregnancy duration is roughly 2 months, making it possible for her to birth as countless as five clutters a year. If your feline inaccurately glided outside throughout cozy, there are a few prospective indicators of maternal. The initial noteworthy indication is dimmed and also extra famous nipple areas, as your feline's body prepares to make milk for its young. As well as the majority of dramatically, it will most certainly be her increased cravings as well as swollen abdomen. As your feline nears completion of their maternity, your cat may even begin nesting by considering a remote area to make a comfy birthing area. Search for her in laundry baskets in addition to edges of storeroom. If you think your pet cat is expectant, established up a visit with your veterinarian to do a rapid appointment as well as a possible x-ray or ultrasound. Some cats can experience a pseudopregnancy where they create all pregnancy signs and symptoms, including lactating, without really being expectant.
Is Pet Cat Menopause a Thing?
Technically chatting, feline menopause is a misconception. While a pet cat's fertility could decline as she grows older, lowering her opportunity of having various trashes in one year, even elderly citizen family pet cats can deliver. Animals, generally, hardly ever exhibit a life period that increases beyond their childbearing years. Pregnancies in later life can stance health as well as wellness dangers to both the clutter and also the mommy feline. The garbages as well as infants of senior citizen queens have a tendency to be a lot smaller sized, and also the stress of being a mother leads to a lower lifestyle for older animal felines.
Hostile Activities
When you develop the variety of felines a healthy, of-age feline can birth, the resulting treatment of both mommies, as well as kids, show up discouraging to an ordinary animal feline proprietor. This circumstance is mainly scheduled for tabloid headings concerning pet dog feline collectors and also yard dog breeders (also known as "kittycat mills"). These scenarios often lead to wild pet cat nests when unreliable owners dispose of undesirable felines out right into the street. Do not include in the undesirable family pet people and also spay or neuter your family pet feline before you become a statistic. cat breeds for dog lovers
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poppycrate3 · 2 years
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Ribociclib Acid being a Story Double Blocker regarding KIR61/2-SUR2 Subunits involving ATP-Sensitive K+ Stations: Function in the Adverse Medicine Reactions
These findings suggest that S100A4 shields stomach most cancers tissues through anoikis by simply regulating leader sixth is v along with alpha dog Your five integrin term, which in turn sheds the sunday paper mild for that position of S100A4 inside cancer malignancy metastasis. (Cancers Sci This year; 102: 1014-1018).Epigenetic modifications are generally affecting cancer malignancy #Link# . Nonetheless, their own part inside establishing or even keeping the actual dangerous state may be tough to figure out due to the insufficient fresh instruments that enable resetting associated with epigenetic issues. To address this, many of us applied induced pluripotent come mobile (iPSC) re-training ways to produce popular epigenetic resetting involving glioblastoma (GBM)-derived sensory stem (GNS) cells. GBM iPSCs (GiPSCs) ended up eventually redifferentiated towards the neurological family tree to guage the effect involving cancer-specific epigenetic issues on tumorigenicity. GiPSCs along with their distinguishing types display common resetting of common GBM-associated changes, such as DNA hypermethylation of promoter regions of the cellular motility regulator TES (testis-derived transcript), the particular cancer suppressor cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1C (CDKN1C; p57KIP2), and a lot of polycomb-repressive sophisticated A couple of (PRC2) goal genes (electronic.h., SFRP2). Astonishingly, even with these kinds of global epigenetic reconfiguration, GiPSC-derived sensory #Link# progenitors always been very dangerous after xenotransplantation. Not until GiPSCs ended up given to nonneural mobile or portable types did many of us observe sustained appearance regarding reactivated growth guards along with diminished infiltrative behavior. These types of info declare that upon an epigenome connected with an choice developing family tree can easily reduce cancerous conduct. Even so, negative credit your neurological family tree, common resetting regarding GBM-associated epigenetic irregularities is just not enough in order to outrank the cancer genome.Weight problems are a continual situation that is prevalent inside dark-colored females. The actual Being overweight Lowering Dark Involvement Test (ORBIT) was a randomized controlled fat loss and also weight-loss routine maintenance (WLM) tryout. Participants (And Equals 213) had been randomized towards the intervention or perhaps manage organizations in The year 2005 along with October '06. Follow-up information have been collected Half a dozen as well as 1 . 5 years after randomization. The key effects were change in weight along with BMI coming from standard to 18 months. The particular indicate fat in baseline has been One hundred and four.9 kilograms, as well as the imply fat loss inside the input group at Six months was Three.2 kilograms and a achieve regarding Zero.Only two kilograms in the handle party (imply difference between organizations within excess weight change in A few months, adjusting for standard fat and also cohort, -3.29 kilograms; 95% self confidence time period (CI), -4.50 to -2.05 kilo; R < Zero.001). The two groupings acquired weight among Some and 18 months (suggest 1.0 kilograms in the involvement team and also 3.1 kg from the manage party). Nevertheless, input contributors lost a lot more weight than manage members in the 18-month involvement (adjusted mean among groups in 18 months, -2.83 #Link# kilograms; 95% CI, -4.Seventy one for you to -0.92; R Equates to 2.
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fairy-writes · 3 years
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Hi! Could I please request a KNY and BNHA matchup? Both male. I’m reserved when around meeting new people (add in my height, I’m a 6’0 female, and people say I can be intimidating). However I am very sweet, bubbly and a bit impulsive when comfortable around people. I love animals and work as a dog trainer specializing in behavior modification for aggression and fear. The impulsivity side tends to lend into my animal rescuing missions; such as getting into a sewer to save a cat. Even outside of work my hobbies center around training and competing with my own dogs.
Thank you so much. Also I just wanted to say even though I’m not into fire force I loved reading the K-9 unit stuff you have. My background is in search and rescue and police dogs.
Hello lovely! I hope you like your matchups! I’m so glad you like my k-9 unit stuff! I’ve fallen a bit out of love with fire force, but I’m still super proud of the K-9 unit! I’d love to hear more about your competing with your dogs! That sounds awesome!
Demon Slayer Matchup: I pair you with… Uzui Tengen!
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MY FAVORITE DEMON SLAYER MAN
This big beefy man is a whopping 6’6” and is just as intimidating, so the two of you make a fearsome couple even though you are more reserved when meeting new people! He likes your bubbly and sweet side and loves to watch you work! He doesn’t have pets seeing as he doesn’t have the time (with him being a Hashira and all) to give them the care and love they need, but he loves to watch you work with dogs!
He does worry about you with your impulsive side, though. He knows you can take care of yourself with rescuing animals, but that doesn’t mean he won’t worry!
My Hero Academia Matchup: I pair you with… Yamada Hizashi!
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Present Mic is 6’1” (whether or not this includes his hair, I don’t know), so he’s only a little taller than you and a whole lot more energetic when meeting new people. He loves your sweet and bubbly side! Though he does worry about your impulsivity, he also likes to go on impulsive dates, so it’s a win-win! He gets to spend time with you and go on a date, so it’s a plus for him!
He admires that you work with dogs! He loves dogs, but they also scare him a little bit (particularly little dogs, those freaking ankle biters), but he’s working on his fear so he can really watch you work! He’s okay with dogs at a distance, so he’ll happily go and watch you train and compete with your dogs!
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we-fridlyckans · 4 years
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Basic Dog Commands - Training a Puppy
Now, an all 5-star hidden gem for dog obedience training in San Diego is Total K9 Dog Training. Its trainer, Shannon, is a Member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), member of APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), and is CPDT Certified. She also holds a BA in Psychology and started training animals in 1991 at Sea World. Total K9 Dog Training offers a range of classes, but specializes in dog obedience training, both beginner and advanced.
Total K9 Dog Training teaches the owners how to become good leaders for their dogs without using any intimidation or domination techniques. They focus on building the trust and communication that would allow the dog to follow the owner... even when he or she doesn't have that tasty food handy. Shannon puts a lot of emphasis of training the whole family on how to work with their dog, as this strengthens the bond between all the family members and ensures that everything a dog learns at school will be further reinforced at home. The prices of classes vary, but the general range is between $100 and $165 for group classes.
Total K9 Dog Training serves the areas of San Diego: Escondido, 4S Ranch, Del Sur, Santa Luz, Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Sabre Springs, Rancho Penasquitos, Scripps Ranch.
3. Think Pawsitive Dog Training - Service Dog Training and Therapy Dog Training
Interested in Therapy Dog Training/Service Dog Training? A service or therapy dog certification requires you to take a number of steps along the way. Think Pawsitive dog training school can help you throughout the process. Its founder, Vanessa Melrose, is a member of APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), certified by ABCDT (ABC Dog Trainer) and KPA CTP (Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner). She has been working with dogs since 2003.
What Think Pawsitive offers in terms of service dog training and therapy dog training: it offers to help you with the entire process, from basic training to preparing and passing the CGC Certification and Therapy Pet Certification, which you must get in order for your dog to become an official service/therapy dog. To start the program, your dog doesn't need to be a specific size or breed, it needs to have a calm, friendly temperament. You know, a therapy dog - boy, that patience! Therapy Dog Evaluations are $30, and Think Pawsitive offers extended discounts for referrals or recently adopted pets, so you can email Vanessa directly to learn more about the program and the pricing.
1273 Crest Dr.
Encinitas, CA 92024
949.533.4756Service area: San Diego + Orange County
4. Behave! - Aggressive Dog Training San Diego
Behave! - another hidden gem that specializes in aggressive dog training in San Diego. Its founder, Alexandra Gant, graduated from ACBDT animal behavior college, and since 2012 has been working with "unworkable" or "last chance" dogs who are on the verge of being euthanized or re-homed due to aggression issues. Alex focuses on teaching owners in need of dog aggression training how to train the dog by themselves, without relying on professional help. Behave! trainers are knowledgeable about the different forms of aggression and believe that aggression is a symptom of a much deeper problem, so they focus on fixing the problem, rather than just the symptoms.
Behave! realizes that dog aggression training is a big commitment, so it encourages all owners who work with them to consider packages instead of sessions. The classes are $80-$125 Per Session, and they currently offer a 10% package discount.
(303) 746-3487
5. American Canine Training - Dog Protection Training San Diego
So you were looking for guard dog training in San Diego? We found a hidden gem for that too, all 5 stars - American Canine Training. Chris Moredock is the head trainer, certified by APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) and the Pro-train institute of California.
American Canine Training has a number of different options when it comes to dog protection training. You can choose Security Alert Training, which will teach your dog to watch out for strangers and warn you should they be up to something spooky. It will also teach your dog to stop aggressive responses on your command. Or you could go for a Personal Protection Training (on and off leash), which will teach the dog to protect his or her humans and property, learn "attack" and "release" commands, etc. There you go, you are on your way to getting that cool police-style dog you've always wanted.
(858) 274-0268
Serving area: the entire San Diego County
6. Legends Dog Training - Behavior Modification Dog Training/Dog Separation Anxiety Training
If your pooch needs some professional behavior modification training, this is your local 5-star professional dog behaviorist - Legends Dog Training School. They specialize in dog separation anxiety training, training for dogs with impulsivity issues, fearful response to other dogs and many other behavioral problems.
Alyssa Rose (Lapinel), the founder of Legends, is a CPDT-KA certified Canine Training and Behavior Specialist with 15 years of experience in the area of behavioral studies. She is also certified by the Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and by Triple Crown Dog Training Academy. Alyssa is an AKC Citizen Evaluator, and a Professional Member of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). She applied her degree in Phycology to work with children and adults diagnosed with serious disorders such as schizophrenia, autism and bipolar disorder, and later used this experience to start working with animals. Alyssa designs behavior modification dog training programs that address the root cause of a behavioral problem and provide a systematic framework for improving communication and strengthening the bond between the dog and his/her owner.
One consultation costs $150, but it is included if you decide to pursue a training package with 5 classes for $575. Mind you, different options are available, so check Legends website and see their contact info below to learn more. fridlyckans
619.431.1233
Serving the City of San Diego and San Diego County: Golden Hill, South Park, North Park, Talmadge, Kensington, Mission Hills, Mission Valley, Little Italy, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Escondido, La Jolla, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, La Mesa, Ramona, Poway, El Cajon
7. Pawtopia - Dog Agility Training San Diego
You have sure enough heard about this dog training school - Pawtopia. But did you know that they had a specialized dog agility training class? Yep, this one also made it to our hidden gems list. Its founder, Colleen Demling, is an accredited trainer with 16 years of experience. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, is accredited by the CBCC-KA and CPDT-KA, as well as IABBC. Colleen also designed the Temperament Test for the Naval Medical Center's Therapy Dog Program here at San Diego. Colleen is actively involved in many professional organizations, including the International Association of Canine Professionals, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance.
"Fun with Agility!" is the class Pawtopia offers for dogs of all levels of training, so don't look away if you are not interested in competing - this is dog agility training class for all those who just want to have fun, run through tunnels and jump through hoops, no pressure! The price is $170, and you can learn more on the Pawtopia website.
858-414-7797
Service areas: South Park, Hillcrest, Mission Hills, North Park, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Sunset Cliffs, Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Bay, Bay Park, Morena, Kearney Mesa, Linda Vista, Clairemont Mesa, Normal Heights,University Heights, Clairemont, Coronado, San Diego, Lemon Grove,, Linda Vista, Serra Mesa, Tierrasanta, Sports Arena, La Jolla, Bird Rock, UTC, Sorrento Valley, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Scripps Ranch, Mira Mesa, Rancho Santa Fe, Crosby, Del Sur, Carmel Valley, Torrey Hills, Del Mar, Del Mar Heights, Solana Beach, Fairbanks Ranch, Cardiff By the Sea, Encinitas, Encinitas Ranch, Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Penasquitos
8. Devotion to Dogs - In Home Dog Training
For those of you looking for in home dog training, Ben of Devotion to Dogs offers just that, and takes a place in our list of hidden San Diego gems. Ben is a graduate of Northridge Animal Behavior College, is AKC certified, and is a member of IACP. Ben has been a dog trainer for 15 years, and trained dogs with a variety of behavioral issues. He also works with local rescues and believes that every dog can be trained and successfully rehabilitated. His specialty is in home dog training: a personal, one on one type of training that allows him to assess the environment and find the right solution. And allows you to save time on commute of course.
Devotion to Dogs offers a variety of packages. The starting package includes a 2-4 hour in home session as well as a 1 hour follow up session, which goes for $500. Call Devotion to Dogs for more information.
Garfield Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020
619-500-4787
9. Tully's Training - Online Dog Training
If you need some flexibility or are on a budget, Tully's Training offers not only private in home training and group classes, but also basic obedience positive-reinforcement online dog training - via Skype.
Tully's Training team is comprised of trainers with experience in exotic, domestic, and marine mammal training, which allows it to look at animal behavior from different angles. One of their most titled trainers is Meghan McLeod, who reportedly trained with a number of well-recognized behaviorists such as Karen Pryer and Dr. Ian Dunbar. Meghan is also a certified CGC evaluator. Check out Tully's team of trainers with a whole spectrum of different backgrounds here.
According to Tully's, online dog training has been working great for them and their clients, as they are able to get that same individual, one on one session that you would get in person for a fraction of the cost. So, if online dog training suits your needs, this is the school for you. Training packages are highly customizable, so get in touch with Tully's for more information.http://www.fridlyckans.com/
925.603.3647
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doberbutts · 5 years
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Hi! I am just wanting to ask you a few things about Creed's development over the years if that's okay? I was wondering when you saw a shift in maturity in Creed as he was growing up? Halo is a year and she is still very puppyish & over emotional. What time of Creed's life was he the most challenging to teach? Halo is making progress but I still worry. Creed is a cutie & I wish we lived closer so Halo could run & bounce with him!
Absolutely okay and I’m pretty sure he’d love that lmao, he loves him some dobe girlies.
I did see a big shift in maturity. From about 5 months old until he was somewhere between a year and a year and a half, he was actually pretty dog aggressive. I couldn’t take him anywhere near where there were other dogs because he’d do nothing except lunge and growl and snarl and bark at other dogs, even if they were very far away from him. Even the sound of dogs barking on TV or keys jingling were enough to get him going. It was a really frustrating time and for a while I actually thought about giving him back to his breeder! At one point I was calling her crying because he’d been doing really good with that and then I took him to a pet store with me to buy some treats and he lunged and barked at a beagle puppy walking past us. I think he was about 8 or 9 months at that point in time and I felt really defeated and like I’d screwed him up somehow.
Thankfully not only his breeder but also my breed mentors and my dog training mentors and friends all reassured me several times that it was a phase and very likely not permanent, and that while he’d never be a dog park dog (which I was prepared for) he’d go back to being safe with other dogs with time and effort, and it kept me from throwing in the towel and just giving him back. We recruited another trainer to help spot me when I was too stuck in my own head to see past my frustration, and by the time he was 1.5 years old... the problem effectively vanished without a trace. I took him to a park (NOT a dog park) to just walk him on the path and we were rushed halfway through by 4 offleash dogs of varying sizes and he just sort of... stood there quietly, then walked nicely with me when I made some interesting maneuvers to get away from them. The day before he’d still needed reminders to not bother other dogs as they walked by. I remember thinking that day “who is this dog and where did Creed go???”
I was tempted to chalk it up to just one good day/good event but I was also in the middle of a mentorship where I was encouraged to bring him along and he was doing phenomenally there too- no problems with the other dogs around us, no problems in a downstay while I was working with a different dog, no problems being a neutral dog for dogs like him. It was as if a switch had flipped and I had my actual dog back and not the monster he’d been for close to a year.
We had the occasional bad day if I took it for grated and pushed him too hard- at roughly 22 months he had a spectacularly bad day where we were asked to leave the show grounds at a week-long event in Ohio because I couldn’t get control over him. I’d been snuck up on and startled by a long-time internet friend who I’d yet to meet in person and he would NOT leave her alone after, and then after being so keyed up his behavior rapidly deteriorated until he was just barking at everything that got near either of us.
I felt really embarrassed and ashamed at the time but looking back... he was still young, and it was HOT (88F lows, 99+F highs), and this was an outdoor event where we’d already been attending for 5 days, 12-15 hour days each time, and something I hadn’t noticed until that night is that his entire belly and underside was covered in red rashes and bumps from some chemical the park maintenance people had sprayed in the grass (other competitors and attendees messaged me about it the next day- every dog that had laid in that grass had eventually deteriorated into being uncontrollable and presented rashes a few hours later). There were also two bitches in standing heat making all the boys crazy, and this is the event where I witnessed first humans start fighting and then their dogs joined the fray, so there was a lot of tension in the air too. All in all, I should have taken him out for a break sooner, but there were a lot of factors contributing to the end result.
But then like... he hit two and everything changed again. We’d gone home from that event thinking that I’d need to do more training and we did do more training and then I went to another event very much like the first six months later and... literally nothing. He was his usual self and absolutely nothing like the behavior he’d shown at the first event. We were there for a week then too, living with a bitch in heat and specifically one he knows very well, it was still hot, there was still some weird chemical making him react on the grass, the days were still long, there was still human drama fighting and dogs trying to get at him to fight, I found out later that a dog did actually bite a human at that event... and yet his behavior was fantastic. Once again, like a switch had flipped, we suddenly just... stopped having bad days with that.
Now he’s 5 and earlier this week I had a client with a dog desperate to get at him to fight that I was giving the information on trainers who could help her dog (due to insurance reasons, at my current job I cannot take dogs with a history of aggression, and this dog has bitten more than one other dog) and he just laid behind me and chilled out while the other dog was making all sorts of demon noises at him. We have dogs rush us from time to time and he’s fine. He’s had dogs suddenly, literally be on top of him while we’re standing at register and he doesn’t move or react. We get dogs that lock in on him and will not leave him alone, and he just moves out of the way with me. I’ve gotten really good at dodging charging dogs since he’s usually literally attached to my belt with a hands-free leash.
A very large part of all of my problems with that was definitely maturity. Now that he’s a mature male in his prime, I just... don’t worry about him with other dogs at all. He plays with the puppies at my job and flirts with the girls and steadfastly ignores adult males and I just don’t have to worry about any of what I used to. He met my coworkers’ senior dobe Suvie like once in passing on leash before we turned them out together and they took to each other instantly. I use him as a neutral dog all the time in my classes that contain dogs with explosive reactions to other dogs. Most of my videos of him in my training ring on this blog are of him acting as a demo for classes. We were just at a big training event a few weeks ago where most of the dogs attending were large, intact, adult males and he didn’t spare any of them a second glance and frolicked in the sprinkler with his (intact, year old) nephew. No one worries about Creed at my current store where we’ve been for two years now because no one has to. And a lot of that is just that he’s old enough to not have to be a territorial asshole teenage punk about dogs in his space, so he just doesn’t do it anymore.
Some of it is training too! If I had ignored the problem and not worked on better behaviors, he would probably still be a big asshole punk, but behavior suppression and behavior modification is only part of the puzzle in this instance.
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I’m really bored so here you guys go!
1. selfie
I never do selfies sorry not sorry.  I don’t do them for a number of reasons.  Some of the reasons I hope are kinda obvious.  I have covered this before and it comes down to the fact that the relationship I am in can lead to trouble for my dad, my sisters, and myself.
2. what would you name your future kids?
I would love to keep the family tradition and either use Gaelic or old french names.
3. do you miss anyone?
Oh man I miss having alot of acquaintances.  I was very popular in high-school for alot of reasons; most not too good.  I miss my sorority sisters.  As you get older you find out everyone grows up at different rates.  I have friends that still party like they’re 21 and I have friends that just graduated and are married, 2nd child and are like mini-van mom life!  I miss always having the option to choose whom I wanted to be like that day.
I miss my sisters sometimes.  I have always seen myself as my sisters’ mom. They are on the other side of the country and they live together so I miss them.  They are getting so close and I miss being part of the stories, the inside jokes etc... it’s sometimes a little hard to be left out.  THEN, they come home and I end up being a driver, cook, maid, and I’m like okay it’s time for you to fly out...NOW! 
4. what are you looking forward to?
I’m at a point in my life where i’m content.  I’m looking forward to creating the house into a home.  I like decorating it.  I’m looking forward to getting the house covered in flowers.  I’m looking forward to working out.  I’m really looking forward to getting my body back.  
5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?
Without a doubt it’s Catie!  I love you missy.
6. is it hard for you to get over someone?
Interesting question and I guess I have a very interesting take on it.  I loved my dad forever but there was a time during counseling where we were working on re-aligning the relationship to be more inline with a traditional father/daughter role so we were engaged in alot of behavior modification for me.  It was really hard (and made me really depressed, and self destructive and failed) but or psych was still having me see my “crush” every day but I couldn’t do any of the things that my mom did and I was only supposed to do “age-appropriate” activities.  But the thing was I loved my mom and I loved doing the things she did.  So, life was just hard. Trying to pretend like feelings for someone don’t exist is a miserable experience.  
7. what was your life like last year?
Life has been interesting,  My dad and I are now living as a couple at the house so there were/are real growing pains associated with that.  it’s no longer just his room and my room and we don’t have to sneak around the house.  That stuff is amazing and I love that.  I miss my sisters.  I miss all my acquaintances.  Catie’s husband got transferred out of Coronado and they are moving to the Virginia. My dad’s grandfather died.  Still have no clue where my aunt is.  This is the longest that has happened.  My middle sister quit softball, my youngest sister is like a full woman and it’s scary.
8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?
I have cried for just about every reason under the sun.  
9. who did you last see in person?
Dad as he left this morning
10. are you good at hiding your feelings?
I am not good at it at all.  Mad, you’ll know, annoyed you’ll know. Sad, you will probably see drinking wine.
11. are you listening to music right now?
Nope, YouTube is on 
12. what is something you want right now?
Honestly I feel like sex, anal and giving a blowjob
13. how do you feel right now?
Mildly horny and procrastinating writing up three proposals
14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?
This morning, I’m a lucky girl!
15. personality description
According to my plum profile I am a marvelous manager, chief communicator, and a decision maker.
16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?
That’s why I have Tumblr. I can tell everyone and it’s really cathartic.
17. opinion on insecurities
We all have them.  Own them but don’t let them run and ruin your life.
18. do you miss how thing were a year ago?
A little.  Everything seemed just a little bit easier.  
19. have you ever been to New York?
Oh my god yes I love it there!
20. what is your favorite song at the moment?
Memories by Maroon 5, Rebel Girl and  Kiss and Tell by Angels and Airwaves
21. age and birthday? 23 now, July 31st, 
22. description of crush.
Dad was about 6′4 225 he’s about 6′1″/2″ now I think he’s still around 230
23. fear(s)
I never talk about my fears.
24. height
I’m 5′9″
25. role model
It’s cheesy but my dad.
26. idol(s)
I don’t really have any
27. things i hate
I hate shitty people.  I hate mean and manipulative people.  There are nice to your face and shitty behind you.  If you don’t like me just be honest.  We can be polite we don’t have to be friends.
28. i’ll love you if…
I don’t like being cold so if you keep me warm that’s one way.  I like shopping so if you like to go shopping with me that’s a good way.  I love having good coffee and also tea.
29. favorite film(s)
Phantom of the Opera, Sleeping Beauty, Diamonds are a girls best friends, breakfast at Tiffany’s stuff like that.
30. favourite tv show(s)
West wing, how I met your mother, friends, sex and the city, the big bang theory, the office, scrubs.
31. 3 random facts
I was a triple jumper, I have so many bikini pieces I rarely ever wear matching parts, I suck at swimming and look like a dog swimming.
32. are your friends mainly girls or guys?
I have a ton of girl friends
33. something you want to learn
I want to learn programming
34. most embarrassing moment
The moment I hooked up with Catie’s crush in high-school and she was about to let everyone at the party know my “daddy issues” were alot more than that.  yeah that sucked.  But he was a giant dickhead so I guess it worked out.  
35. favorite subject 
Biology
36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?
DREAMS... get married, have children, not be in a secret relationship
37. favorite actor/actress
Reese Witherspoon, and Audrey Hepburn
38. favorite comedian(s)
Ralphie May, Norm McDonald, Jimmy Fallon, 
39. favorite sport(s)
Track and Field, Sailing, Rowing, Dressage, and Surfing I was only okay at Track and Field
40. favorite memory
My prom night
41. relationship status
Taken, and like noone knows,..Sad face
42. favorite book(s)
An honorable Profession, the Great Gatsby, 
43. favorite song ever 
Still gives me chills,  Chi ll bel sogno di Doretta but you really have to be in the mood, 
LA MUSICA NOTTURNA DELLE STRADE DI MADRID. No. 6, Op.30
Pachelbel - Canon in d
More popular stuff is mashups
44. age you get mistaken for
18-20 I have a baby face
45. how you found out about your idol
I just want to be the best me I can be. no Idols.  
46. what my last text message says
To a coworker, “How’s it going?”
47. turn ons
Be nice and kind (especially to a poor/homeless)
Dapper not stylish but classic
Salt and pepper hair
In shape and clean!!!!
48. turn offs
Dirtiness, disheveld, rude, loud and crude.
49. where i want to be right now
I want to be in Manhattan looking out the window onto a city of snow, with dad
50. favorite picture of your idol
nope 51. starsign
I’m a zodiac but none of that means anything.  
52. something i’m talented at
blowjobs! No really I love them.  Also I’m great at meticulous lab work and business strategy.
53. 5 things that make me happy
1. 99% of the time Dad. 2. Being snooty and posh.  I love the opera, symphony, I love getting dressed up, and the whole ritual of it all. 3. coffee and cold misty beach air while im in a warm sweater out by the pool looking at the ocean.  4. shopping, 5. recognized for good work at work.
54. something thats worrying me at the moment
family and I really need to let things go.
55. tumblr friends
Yep got them but I don’t know if they want me to out them here. So you guys get to stay hidden!
56. favorite food(s)
Braised lamb shank is good
57. favorite animal(s)
I love big wrinkly dogs that slobber (WILL NEVER GET THEM) I can’t imagine trying to keep a clean house with fur and slobber!
58. description of my best friend.
What more can I say about Catie, she knows everything and has been my rock since I was 11!  She even planned prom for me which was why I am where I am really.  I mean It helped get us here alot faster.  She is my bestie.
59. why i joined tumblr
This iteration of tumblr has been to talk about what it’s like to be in a real relationship with my biological father NOT some cheesy porno or erotic story.  I try to talk about the real relationship struggles we have.  Answer questions etc... But I guess I am kinda boring because no one asks anymore.  
60. ask me anything you want
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littlefrenchdog · 5 years
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French Bulldog Frightened By Loud Noises? How To Fix.
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The sudden boom of lightning and thunder, cracks, and pops of fireworks that seem benign to you may sound like a world-shaking event to you little Frenchie. If your French Bulldog is trembling and shaking during storms or cowering in fear each fourth of July, here are several measures you can take to help. Researchers are not sure which part of a rainstorm triggers anxiety and fear in dogs Like in the case of fireworks, it may be the sound and light bursts. For some, it might be a shift in their daily routine. Others dogs may have more sensitive hearing than others. Individual dogs can experience changes in atmospheric pressure or could detect low-frequency thunderstorms well before we do. These can lead to anxiety even before the storm hits. It maybe even your behaviour around the loud noise. If you become anxious, your Frenchies will pick up on this also. A study from: Journal of Veterinary Behavior make the following observation on dogs anxiety. When the researchers looked at dogs which have been identified as anxious, it turned out why they're nearly twice as likely to show high noise sensitivity and anxiety responses to loud sounds as well. Moreover, if the dog were frightened of thunder, it also was possible that the dog would be scared of fireworks gunfire and other loud daily noises.
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Worried Frenchie
Most Common
French Bulldog Scared Of Thunder Even before the first flash of lightning, well-behaved dogs start to pace, pant sticking to their owners or hiding in the bathroom, or wedging themselves under the bed or tight space. In extreme cases, they may bite through drywall, chew rugs, and bust through doors in increasing fear. Reducing thunderstorm anxiety Most importantly, that constant patting or comforting your is often perceived by dogs as a reward for the fearful response— or confirmation that nervous reaction is appropriate. Alternatively, discipline will only intensify the anxiety of a frightened dog. Your behaviour around your Frenchie is essential. Try to be relaxed and project a calm vibe. Try to engage them in activities that they usually enjoy like, playing with there favourite toys. Change Locations Moving the location of your Frenchie can be remarkably effective, as it can help reduce the noise of the storm or make your dog less mindful of it. Some dogs like to hang out on the bathroom or under a fan whenever there is a storm As the "white noise" that the fan produces muffles the noises that disturb them. Letting your Frenchie access the basement or to a place without windows might have a similar impact. Many dogs consider that the closet or the space underneath the bed is particularly secure and safe. If your pet goes to his crate, attempt to cover it with a sheet to improve your sense of safety. But, leave the crate door open so that your Frenchie doesn't feel trapped. Use Conditioning Enable your Frenchie to connect something negative like a storm with something positive. Keep a toy hidden away and bring it out to play as they start to feel anxious about an incoming storm. Feed them with a special treat during these periods. This distracts their attention by enjoying the treat or toy throughout the storm and will slowly help to recondition their response to a storm. Desensitization Desensitization needs to happen on a gradual basis. You're mostly trying to get your Frenchie used to the sound of thunder and see this as normal. This would be typically done by playing a recorded thunderstorm at low volume and short periods at a time. The sound of the thunder must come sporadically to mimic real thunder. While this is happening to keep on eye on your Frenchies behaviour. Try to distract them while the noise is happening by playing fetch or doing some kind of enjoyable activity, as mention above. If your French Bulldog is too afraid to participate, you have to turn down the volume of your thunder noise and try again tomorrow. This can be a lengthy process that requires a great deal of dedication, but at the end of the day, your French Bulldog will be much more confident during a storm. https://youtu.be/9-PgOEoHAus French bulldog gets ready to rumble with thunder French Bulldog Scared of Fireworks Many dogs have trouble with the sight and sound of fireworks when they have not been desensitized as with thunderstorms. Some dogs, nevertheless, aren't used to such things, so the 4th of July may be a particularly traumatic holiday for your Frenchie and yourself. You may have heard of all of the pets that run away on the fourth of July than any other day, so you must take additional steps to ensure the wellbeing of your Frenchie. Keep an eye on your Frenchie during the commotion, and ensure your French Bulldog has the valid identification just in case they getaway. Your Frenchies perception of fireworks is different from other natural loud sounds, like thunder. Fireworks are lower to the ground, more vivid and followed by loud bangs, light and burning smell of gunpowder. The Fourth of July holiday can be a very stressful day for them. Following are some things you can do. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "littlefrenchd-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Dog anxiety"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "5209a67449b3f666821c10529f7e962d"; amzn_assoc_design = "in_content"; Before and On the Holiday Organize to have your Frenchie in a location where they won't be exposed to the loud fireworks show. Either a friend's or perhaps a family member residence or a dog daycare that your French Bulldog is acquainted with. If it is an unfamiliar environment for your Frenchie, take them there a couple of times in the days before the actual holiday, so that it won't come as a shock if you take him here on the fourth. When you can't take your Frenchie to a safe place from the fireworks, just have a kennel at home to make them feel secure. If you're not going to be home, make sure you have a friend or a dog sitter there to keep your French Bulldog company. Desensitization As above this works exactly the same as dealing with a Thunder Storm. Keeping it simple as not to repeat. Take the time, possibly three or four months and play your Frenchie recorded fireworks noise at a progressively louder volume before they eat, runs around, and also before attention and play. https://youtu.be/bi5kLPflJGg Upset about Fireworks
Medications for Dog Anxiety
Warning: Always consult your veterinarian before giving any medication to your dog. After your veterinarian has given your dog a checkup, they may recommend a dog anxiety medicine as part of your Frenchies care. Regardless of what medicine your vet selects, you will also have to put behaviour-modification processes in place to support your Frenchie to work through their fear. This is covered in the paragraphs above. Dogs generally need to be monitored for around four weeks before the efficacy of the drug is wholly shown, and therapy needs to be maintained for at minimum two months after an appropriate reaction has been detected. Anxiety Medications for Dogs AlprazolamAlprazolam is often used to aid dogs that become anxious throughout thunderstorms and fireworks, but can also be used for other forms of situational anxiety. AmitriptylineAmitriptyline could be given to help dogs through separation anxiety or more generalized anxiety. Buspirone Buspirone is a part of the anxiolytics class of azaperone. This medicine needs repeated use to be successful, so it is not beneficial for dogs suffering from situational anxieties such as a thunderstorm. Clomipramine Clomipramine is approved treatment for separating anxiety in dogs. Sileo Sileo helps to support dogs with noise sensitivity. Diazepam Diazepam does have a variety of uses in dogs, but it's most successful as an anti-anxiety medication, sedative, a hunger stimulant, as well as a seizure-control drug. Diazepam is used for anxiety to help with panic disorders such as severe noise avoidance. ReconcileReconcile is a treatment for separation anxiety in dogs Many forms of anxiety or behavioural problems (obsessive chewing, circling or self-mutilation, and even aggressiveness). Lorazepam Lorazepam should be administered to dogs in anticipation of an occurrence known to cause anxiety, for example, a thunderstorm. The medication could also be issued at the first indication that a dog becomes nervous. Paroxetine Paroxetine may be used for several anxiety-related symptoms, namely aggression noise sensitivity, and self-mutilation in dogs. Sertraline Sertraline may be prescribed for several anxiety-related issues, such as separation anxiety, thunderstorm and fireworks, and fear-based aggression.
Conclusion
Hopefully, with this information,you can help your little French Bulldog overcome any anxiety they have towards loud noises. More Reading French Bulldog Training(Opens in a new browser tab) Read the full article
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bloojayoolie · 5 years
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Children, Dogs, and Energy: AUManhatten ACC wating for Leve! irsa GOOD LOOKING, FRIENDLY, VERY SOCIAL & WIGGLY SEEKS ATTENTION AFFECTION & CUDDLES, TREAT MOTIVATED 72840 1 YEARS 4 MONTHS OLD AMAX URSA atttt TO BE KILLED - 8/22/2019 WINNING SMILE FOR A WINNING POOCH <3 Meet the life of the party, Max! A super good looking young boy who knows how to get attention. Max loves being part of a crowd, and loves playful interaction more than anything. He wears a rich black brindled coat with a vanilla chest. and socks. He arrived soft bodied, wiggly and cooperated during his assessment. Max puts 100% into everything, he makes himself known, and insists on interaction. Just over a year old, he is at the perfect age to be trained to his home's desires, his astute intellect will take him far. Sociability is effortless for this hunk, as is his knack for making people feel loved.Though Max easily makes himself at home, he is in dire need of one now that he is placed on the heartless list. MAX URSA@MANHATTAN ACC Hello, my name is Max Ursa My animal id is #72840 I am a male black brindle dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center The shelter thinks I am about 1 years 4 months old Came into shelter as a stray 8/16/2019 Max Ursa is rescue only Max Ursa is at risk for behavioral observations. Max Ursa has displayed a low threshold for arousal and becomes easily overstimulated with the potential to tip into aggression. Max Ursa would be best suited for placement with a new hope partner that can provide the necessary behavior modification. Medically, Max Ursa seems healthy. My medical notes are... Vet Notes Medical Assistant 8/16/2019 [DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 1 Microchip noted on Intake? neg History : stray Subjective: BARH Observed Behavior - Very strong, seeks attention - wants you to pet him, jumps up for cuddles, very wiggly, food/ treat motivated Evidence of Cruelty seen -n Evidence of Trauma seen -n Objective T = P = 120 R =eup BCS= 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: difficult to examine well - too active - no significant calculus PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: male - 2sst, pre-scrotal area cln MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: Assessment healthy 1 yo M intact large breed dog Prognosis: good Plan: routine intake SURGERY: Okay for surgery Details on my behavior are... Behavior Condition: 1. Green Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 8/16/2019 Spay/Neuter status:: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray Date of assessment:: 8/17/2019 Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Moderate Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: None Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Highly social Call over: Approaches readily Sociability comments: Body soft, stays by assessor, mouths with moderate pressure Handling Soft handling: Over-aroused Exuberant handling: Over-aroused Handling comments: Body soft, jumping up, mouths with light pressure Arousal Jog: Engages in play with handler, escalates Arousal comments: Jumps up and mouths assessor then begins to growl and snaps at assessor's foot Knock: Approaches (exuberant) Knock Comments: Jumps up and mouths Toy: Grips, firm Toy comments: Body soft Date of initial:: 8/16/2019 Summary:: Soft body, jumps up, attention seeking ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Max Ursa so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. However, he is a young, enthusiastic, social dog who will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to the high level of arousal seen at the care center from Max Ursa and the potential he has shown to tip over into aggression, we recommend an adult only home. Place with a New Hope partner: Due to the high level of arousal seen at the care center from Max Ursa and the potential he has shown to tip over into aggression, we recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification (force-free, positive reinforcement-based) and re-evaluate behavior in a stable home environment before placement into a permanent home. Potential challenges: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Social hyperarousal,Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition,Low threshold for arousal Potential challenges comments:: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Max Ursa jumps up a lot on people in a social manner. Please see handout on Basic Manners. Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition: Max Ursa has displayed a high level of mouthiness at the care center, applying moderate pressure. Please see handout on Mouthiness. Low threshold for arousal: Max Ursa became quickly aroused on his assessment during the jog portion. He growled and snapped at the assessor's foot while the assessor was jogging with him. He has displayed a potential to tip over into aggression when he becomes aroused. Please see handout on Arousal. MAX URSA IS RESCUE ONLY…..TO SAVE THIS PUP YOU MUST FILL OUT APPLICATIONS WITH AT LEAST 3 NEW HOPE RESCUES. PLEASE HURRY!!! IF YOU CAN FOSTER OR ADOPT THIS PUP, PLEASE PM OUR PAGE FOR ASSISTANCE. WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH LINKS TO APPLICATIONS WITH NEW HOPE RESCUES WHO ARE CURRENTLY PULLING FROM THE NYC ACC. PLEASE SHARE THIS DOG FOR A HOME TO SAVE HIS LIFE.
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daddyslittlejuliet · 5 years
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Sounds That Scare Dogs — And What to Do About Them
The post Sounds That Scare Dogs — And What to Do About Them by Arden Moore appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Dogs don’t need to see something scary to turn into puddles of panic. There are tons of sounds that scare dogs, unfortunately. Certain sounds that scare dogs can cause them to pace, drool, shake, shadow you or desperately seek a safe refuge like inside the bathtub.
Some dogs with noise phobias can become petrified with fear even before the dreaded sound arrives, because they pick up on pre-sound warning cues.
“My dog, Rusty, is terrified of the smoke detector in our kitchen,” says Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, professor emeritus at Tufts University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and lead veterinarian at the Center for Canine Behavior Studies in Salisbury, Connecticut. “He has learned that turning on our indoor grill may cause the smoke alarm to go off, so he starts to shake and tremble with fear when he sees us bring out the indoor grill. So, I distract him in another room while my wife, Linda, works the indoor grill. Rusty has learned what we call a behavioral chain, a common occurrence in dogs with noise phobias.”
What are some common sounds that scare dogs?
What sounds scare dogs? Photography ©Sonja Rachbauer| Getty Images
By definition, veterinarians and animal behaviorists use the term “noise phobia” to describe the intense and irrational fear displayed by some dogs to certain sounds. It is important to make the distinction that fear is a normal emotional response to a real or perceived threat or situation, such as dreading the anticipated pain from a vaccination needle. However, fear can escalate to a phobia, an exaggerated and irrational response that can completely emotionally cripple a dog.
Topping the list of sounds that scare dogs:
thunderstorms
fireworks
loud trucks
gunshots
people yelling
squawking pet parrots
security alarms
smoke detectors
But your dog may develop a noise phobia to more unusual sounds based on past experience, such as the wheels of a skateboard, the buzzer on a game show on TV or the popping of bubble wrap used to pad packages.
Sounds that scare dogs are a pretty common problem
Sounds that scare dogs aren’t uncommon, unfortunately. Photography ©igorr1 | Getty Images.
Sounds that scare dogs and escalate into noise phobia in dogs are more common than you may realize. Dr. Dodman estimates that close to 50 percent of dogs have some signs of fear and anxiety to sounds, sights and situations. But there is no study known that breaks down the percentage of dogs with fears or phobias to perceived scary sounds.
“Fear and anxiety rank as the No. 1 issue with dogs,” says Dr. Dodman, who ran the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts for more than two decades and is a best-selling pet author. “No one knows for sure, but it may have to do with their physical size, shape, structure, their temperaments and/or environmental influences.”
Most of Dr. Dodman’s canine clients being treated for thunderstorm phobia tended to be large and hairy. He has treated more breeds like German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Bernese Mountain Dogs for noise phobias than he has for breeds like Greyhounds, Shih Tzus or Dachshunds.
“A dog’s coat is a perfect receptacle for an electric charge, especially dogs with long-haired coats,” he notes. “Things and animals can get statically charged in a storm.”
Signs of fear
Is your dog hiding? He might have a noise phobia. Photography ©Alexandr Zhenzhirov | Getty Images
How a dog reacts to a fearful sound also depends on whether or not his best friend – you — are in the room or the dog is home alone.
“Clinical signs can differ, but if you are with the dog when the noise occurs, the typical behavior is for the dog to go into Velcro mode and be close to you, even press into you as the dog shakes and trembles with fear,” Dr. Dodman says. “But if you are not present to provide solace to the dog, separation anxiety is also usually present. These dogs are in extreme anxious states and tend to vocalize, have accidents on the floor and desperately try to hide or escape what they regard to be a house of horrors.”
Other signs of sounds that scare dogs can include: inappropriate chewing (your shoes, the television remote, etc.), drooling, excessive barking, diarrhea and vomiting, digging (including the living room rug), panting heavily, pacing and displaying “whale eye” — a panicky look in which you can see the whites of the eyes.
Tools to calm a noise phobia
While there is no one cure or one-size-fits-all solution to minimize sounds that scare dogs has or even make them disappear altogether, you do have plenty of tools at your disposal.
For starters, strive to be calm around your dog and avoid baby talk or panicky tones. Dogs are masters at reading our emotional states. And, consult a professional dog behaviorist or dog trainer to help modify your dog’s behavior. Keep in mind that behavior modification techniques build on small but steady successes, and you need to be patient. Never yell at your dog for his fear-related destructive behavior, as your dog could start to associate the loud noises with a punishment, too.
As for products, work with your veterinarian to see if these may aid the reaction in your dog: Anti-anxiety vests, ThunderShirts, anti-static jackets or even towel wrapping your dog to help him feel less anxious or frightened. If your dog is afraid of storms, you can try rubbing his coat with antistatic laundry dryer sheets.
Pheromone sprays and diffusers. These commercial products emit dog-appeasing pheromones that help some dogs calm down in stressful or scary situations.
Soothing music or white noise to help block out the source of the fear-causing sound.
Soundproof a crate or safe room for your dog to go to before a storm strikes.
Some dogs require supplements or prescription medication to help them cope with noise phobias, especially to thunderstorms. The popular go-to medications prescribed by veterinarians include clonidine, clomipramine, fluoxetine, benzodiazepine and Prozac. Keep in mind that your veterinarian may recommend a combination of these drugs or may prescribe for use before a storm arrives to minimize your dog’s response. Go to a holistic veterinarian if you prefer more homeopathic solutions like herbs, essential oils, Bach flower remedies or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Dr. Dodman shares one final key bit of advice: Don’t wait to get your pup or young dog treated for a noise phobia. “If your 10-month-old dog is starting to show signs of fear to a sound like thunder, don’t dismiss it and think you can just live with his pacing, because trust me, it will get worse if unchecked. I guarantee that. Get help sooner than later.”
When it comes to hearing, dog ears rule
Dogs have much better hearing than humans. Photography ©Azret Ayubov | Getty .
When it comes to a hearing contest, dogs have us beat, paws down. On average, there are about 12 muscles per canine ear that can be tilted, turned, raised and lowered to zero in on sounds at greater distances and wider frequencies than human ears.
Dogs can hear sounds within 67 to 45,000 hertz range as compared to people who can hear sounds within a range of 63 to 23,000. Hertz (Hz) is a measure of sound frequency or cycles per second.
That explains why your dog can be snoozing in an upstairs bedroom but hear you open a bag of potato chips in the kitchen and come bounding your way.
Thumbnail: © mattjeacock |Getty Images & © GlobalP | Getty Images.
About the author
Arden Moore, the Pet Health and Safety Coach, is a pet behavior consultant, master certified pet first-aid instructor, author and host of the Oh, Behave Show on Pet Life Radio. Learn more at ardenmoore.com.
Editor’s note: This article appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you! 
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The post Sounds That Scare Dogs — And What to Do About Them by Arden Moore appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
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The 12 Worst Ideas Organized Religion Has Unleashed On the World
These dubious concepts advocate conflict, cruelty and suffering.
By Valerie Tarico / AlterNet
April 30, 2018, 10:34 PM GMT
Some of humanity’s technological innovations are things we would have been better off without: the medieval rack, the atomic bomb and powdered lead potions come to mind. Religions tend to invent ideas or concepts rather than technologies, but like every other creative human enterprise, they produce some really bad ones along with the good.
I've previously highlighted some of humanity’s best moral and spiritual concepts, our shared moral core. Here, by way of contrast, are some of the worst. These twelve dubious concepts promote conflict, cruelty, suffering and death rather than love and peace. To paraphrase Christopher Hitchens, they belong in the dustbin of history just as soon as we can get them there.
1. Chosen People –The term “Chosen People” typically refers to the Hebrew Bible and the ugly idea that God has given certain tribes a Promised Land (even though it is already occupied by other people). But in reality many sects endorse some version of this concept. The New Testament identifies Christians as the chosen ones. Calvinists talk about “God’s elect,” believing that they themselves are the special few who were chosen before the beginning of time. Jehovah’s witnesses believe that 144,000 souls will get a special place in the afterlife. In many cultures certain privileged and powerful bloodlines were thought to be descended directly from gods (in contrast to everyone else).
Religious sects are inherently tribal and divisive because they compete by making mutually exclusive truth claims and by promising blessings or afterlife rewards that no competing sect can offer. “Gang symbols” like special haircuts, attire, hand signals and jargon differentiate insiders from outsiders and subtly (or not so subtly) convey to both that insiders are inherently superior.
2. Heretics – Heretics, kafir, or infidels (to use the medieval Catholic term) are not just outsiders, they are morally suspect and often seen as less than fully human. In the Torah, slaves taken from among outsiders don’t merit the same protections as Hebrew slaves. Those who don’t believe in a god are corrupt, doers of abominable deeds. “There is none [among them] who does good,” says the Psalmist.
Islam teaches the concept of “dhimmitude” and provides special rules for the subjugation of religious minorities, with monotheists getting better treatment than polytheists. Christianity blurs together the concepts of unbeliever and evildoer. Ultimately, heretics are a threat that needs to be neutralized by conversion, conquest, isolation, domination, or—in worst cases—mass murder.
3. Holy War – If war can be holy, anything goes. The medieval Roman Catholic Church conducted a twenty year campaign of extermination against heretical Cathar Christians in the south of France, promising their land and possessions to real Christians who signed on as crusaders. Sunni and Shia Muslims have slaughtered each other for centuries. The Hebrew scriptures recount battle after battle in which their war God, Yahweh, helps them to not only defeat but also exterminate the shepherding cultures that occupy their “Promised Land.” As in later holy wars, like the modern rise of ISIS, divine sanction let them kill the elderly and children, burn orchards, and take virgin females as sexual slaves—all while retaining a sense of moral superiority.
4. Blasphemy – Blasphemy is the notion that some ideas are inviolable, off limits to criticism, satire, debate, or even question. By definition, criticism of these ideas is an outrage, and it is precisely this emotion–outrage–that the crime of blasphemy evokes in believers. The Bible prescribes death for blasphemers; the Quran does not, but death-to-blasphemers became part of Shariah during medieval times.
The idea that blasphemy must be prevented or avenged has caused millions of murders over the centuries and countless other horrors. As I write, blogger Raif Badawi awaits round after round of flogging in Saudi Arabia—1000 lashes in batches of 50—while his wife and children plead from Canada for the international community to do something.
5. Glorified suffering – Picture secret societies of monks flogging their own backs. The image that comes to mind is probably from Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, but the idea isn’t one he made up. A core premise of Christianity is that righteous torture—if it’s just intense and prolonged enough–can somehow fix the damage done by evil, sinful behavior. Millions of crucifixes litter the world as testaments to this belief. Shia Muslims beat themselves with lashes and chains during Aashura, a form of sanctified suffering called Matam that commemorates the death of the martyr Hussein. Self-denial in the form of asceticism and fasting is a part of both Eastern and Western religions, not only because deprivation induces altered states but also because people believe suffering somehow brings us closer to divinity.
Our ancestors lived in a world in which pain came unbidden, and people had very little power to control it. An aspirin or heating pad would have been a miracle to the writers of the Bible, Quran, or Gita. Faced with uncontrollable suffering, the best advice religion could offer was to lean in or make meaning of it. The problem, of course is that glorifying suffering—turning it into a spiritual good—has made people more willing to inflict it on not only themselves and their enemies but also those who are helpless, including the ill or dying (as in the case of Mother Teresa and the American Bishops) and children (as in the child beating Patriarchy movement).
6. Genital mutilation – Primitive people have used scarification and other body modifications to define tribal membership for as long as history records. But genital mutilation allowed our ancestors several additional perks—if you want to call them that. Infant circumcision in Judaism serves as a sign of tribal membership, but circumcision also serves to test the commitment of adult converts. In one Bible story, a chieftain agrees to convert and submit his clan to the procedure as a show of commitment to a peace treaty. (While the men lie incapacitated, the whole town is then slain by the Israelites.)
In Islam, painful male circumcision serves as a rite of passage into manhood, initiation into a powerful club. By contrast, in some Muslim cultures cutting away or burning the female clitoris and labia ritually establishes the submission of women by reducing sexual arousal and agency. An estimated 2 million girls annually are subjected to the procedure, with consequences including hemorrhage, infection, painful urination and death. – In the list of religion’s worst ideas, this is the only one that appears to be in its final stages. Only some Hindus (, goddess of power) and some Muslims (, Feast of the Sacrifice) continue to ritually slaughter sacrificial animals on a mass scale. Hindu scriptures including the Gita and Puranas forbid ritual killing, and most Hindus now eschew the practice based on the principle of ahimsa, but it persists as a residual of folk religion.
7. Blood sacrifice – In the list of religion’s worst ideas, this is the only one that appears to be in its final stages. Only some Hindus (during the Festival of Gadhimai, goddess of power) and some Muslims (during Eid al Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice) continue to ritually slaughter sacrificial animals on a mass scale. Hindu scriptures including the Gita and Puranas forbid ritual killing, and most Hindus now eschew the practice based on the principle of ahimsa, but it persists as a residual of folk religion.
When our ancient ancestors slit the throats of humans and animals or cut out their hearts or sent the smoke of sacrifices heavenward, many believed they were literally feeding supernatural beings. In time, in most religions, the rationale changed—the gods didn’t need feeding so much as signs of devotion and penance. The residual child sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible (yes, it is there) typically has this function. Christianity’s persistent focus on blood atonement—the notion of Jesus as the be-all-end-all lamb without blemish, the final “propitiation” for human sin—is hopefully the last iteration of humanity’s long fascination with blood sacrifice.
8. Hell – Whether we are talking about Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, an afterlife filled with demons, monsters, and eternal torture was the worst suffering the Iron Age minds could conceive and medieval minds could elaborate. Invented, perhaps, as a means to satisfy the human desire for justice, the concept of Hell quickly devolved into a tool for coercing behavior and belief.
Most Buddhists see hell as a metaphor, a journey into the evil inside the self, but the descriptions of torturing monsters  and levels of hell can be quite explicit. Likewise, many Muslims and Christians hasten to assure that it is a real place, full of fire and the anguish of non-believers. Some Christians have gone so far as to insist that the screams of the damned can be heard from the center of the Earth or that observing their anguish from afar will be one of the pleasures of paradise.
9. Karma – Like hell, the concept of karma offers a selfish incentive for good behavior—it’ll come back at you later—but it has enormous costs. Chief among these is a tremendous weight of cultural passivity in the face of harm and suffering. Secondarily, the idea of karmasanctifies the broad human practice of blaming the victim. If what goes around comes around, then the disabled child or cancer patient or untouchable poor (or the hungry rabbit or mangy dog) must have done something in either this life or a past one to bring their position on themselves.
10. Eternal Life – To our weary and unwashed ancestors, the idea of gem encrusted walls, streets of gold, the fountain of youth, or an eternity of angelic chorus (or sex with virgins) may have seemed like sheer bliss. But it doesn’t take much analysis to realize how quickly eternal paradise would become hellish—an endless repetition of never changing groundhog days (because how could they change if they were perfect).
The real reason that the notion of eternal life is such a bad invention, though, is the degree to which it diminishes and degrades existence on this earthly plane. With eyes lifted heavenward, we can’t see the intricate beauty beneath our feet. Devout believers put their spiritual energy into preparing for a world to come rather than cherishing and stewarding the one wild and precious world we have been given.
11. Male Ownership of Female Fertility – The notion of women as brood mares or children as assets likely didn’t originate with religion, but the idea that women were created for this purpose, that if a woman should die of childbearing “she was made to do it,” most certainly did. Traditional religions variously assert that men have a god-ordained right to give women in marriage, take them in war, exclude them from heaven, and kill them if the origins of their offspring can’t be assured. Hence Catholicism’s maniacal obsession with the virginity of Mary and female martyrs.
As we approach the limits of our planetary life support system and stare dystopia in the face, defining women as breeders and children as assets becomes ever more costly. We now know that resource scarcity is a conflict trigger and that demand for water and arable land is growing even as both resources decline. And yet, a pope who claims to care about the desperate poor lectures them against contraceptionwhile Muslim leaders ban vasectomies in a drive to outbreed their enemies.
12. Bibliolatry (aka Book Worship) – Preliterate people handed down their best guesses about gods and goodness by way of oral tradition, and they made objects of stone and wood, idols, to channel their devotion. Their notions of what was good and what was Real and how to live in moral community with each other were free to evolve as culture and technology changed. But the advent of the written word changed that. As our Iron Age ancestors recorded and compiled their ideas into sacred texts, these texts allowed their understanding of gods and goodness to become static. The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam forbid idol worship, but over time the texts themselves became idols, and many modern believers practice—essentially—book worship, also known as bibliolatry.
“Because the faith of Islam is perfect, it does not allow for any innovations to the religion,” says one young Muslim explaining his faith online. His statement betrays a naïve lack of information about the origins of his own dogmas. But more broadly, it sums up the challenge all religions face moving forward. Imagine if a physicist said, “Because our understanding of physics is perfect, it does not allow for any innovations to the field.”
 Adherents who think their faith is perfect, are not just naïve or ill informed. They are developmentally arrested, and in the case of the world’s major religions, they are anchored to the Iron Age, a time of violence, slavery, desperation and early death.
Ironically, the mindset that our sacred texts are perfect betrays the very quest that drove our ancestors to write those texts. Each of the men who wrote part of the Bible, Quran, or Gita took his received tradition, revised it, and offered his own best articulation of what is good and real. We can honor the quest of our spiritual ancestors, or we can honor their answers, but we cannot do both.
Religious apologists often try to deny, minimize, or explain away the sins of scripture and the evils of religious history. “It wasn’t really slavery.” “That’s just the Old Testament.” “He didn’t mean it that way.” “You have to understand how bad their enemies were.” “Those people who did harm in the name of God weren’t real [Christians/Jews/Muslims].” Such platitudes may offer comfort, but denying problems doesn’t solve them. Quite the opposite, in fact. Change comes with introspection and insight, a willingness to acknowledge our faults and flaws while still embracing our strengths and potential for growth.
In a world that is teeming with humanity, armed with pipe bombs and machine guns and nuclear weapons and drones, we don’t need defenders of religion’s status quo—we need real reformation, as radical as that of the 16th Century and much, much broader. It is only by acknowledging religion’s worst ideas that we have any hope of embracing the best.
Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Wisdom Commons. She is the author of "Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light" and "Deas and Other Imaginings." Her articles can be found at valerietarico.com.
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