Test Your Knowledge About Dog Behavior

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Dog Behavior and Training Articles

Test Your Knowledge About Dog Behavior

You're thinking about purchasing or adopting a puppy. When is the best time to contact a trainer?

When the dog reaches 6 months of age.

When the dog develops a behavioral problem.

When you go to look at a puppy.

If you're an experienced dog owner, it's not necessary to call a trainer

After you get your puppy, how should you respond to him/her when she has an accident on your brand new living room carpet?

Point to "the evidence" and say, "bad dog, what did you do?"

Rub his nose in his excrement?

Use aversives (e.g., smacking with newspaper or hand, hollering, etc.)?

Put him in his crate for the rest of the day?

Clean it up and ignore it.

Puppies should be socialized with all sorts of people, places and things and other dogs by the time they are how old?

6 months

1 year

l8 weeks

12 weeks

Lack of socialization causes what possible behavioral problem?

Separation Anxiety

Canine Compulsive Disorder

Fear Aggression

A loose dog that is growling at you and showing his pearly whites confronts you. How should you behave toward this dog?

Run like a bat out of hell?

Kick and punch the dog to scare him away.

Scream loudly for help?

Sing Happy Birthday?

Your Terrier escapes out the front door when somebody forgets to shut it after leaving the house. You see your dog chasing a rabbit down the street. You call your dog but he doesn't respond. What is the best way to get him to come back to you?

Chase him down like a common criminal?

Walk up to him quietly and snap his leash on?

Grab one of his squeaky toys and play with him while you squeak it and act like a silly lunatic

Your well-behaved 6 year old Golden Retriever suddenly starts growling at you. He's never done this before. What should you do?

Pet him and say, "it's okay, mommy's here?"

Take him to the vet for a complete physical and blood workup?

Give him a sharp leash correction whenever he growls?

You've read that you should take your dog's food away periodically to show your dog "you're the alpha in the house." When your dog reaches 6 months of age, he begins to get very nasty anytime someone approaches him when he's eating. What should you do?

Holler at him and squirt him with a water bottle when he does this

Keep approaching his food bowl to let him know you're in charge?

Slap him when he growls at you and put him in his crate?

Stop approaching him when he's eating?

You have a Labrador Retriever. Everytime you or someone enters your house, your dog jumps up. How should you respond?

Tell people to push him down?

Tell people to walk right into him?

Tell people to put their knee into the dog's chest so that when he comes down, it hurts?

Tell people to pet him and then he'll finally settle down?

None of the above? (okay, so what would you do?

Your dog continually steals things. He'll steal food off the kitchen counter, he'll steal laundry items, dish towels, toilet paper and anything he can get his little paws on? How should you respond to him?

Chase him and grab the item and take it out of his mouth?

Ignore him?

Bribe him with food?

You have a dog and an 8 year old son. They love to play together and the dog is extremely well-behaved. They're playing nicely in the den on the floor, but your phone rings in the kitchen. You answer it. Is there anything wrong with this picture?

Call the vet and have him put to sleep?

Smack the dog because he was bad?

Ignore the growling and teach your son not to hug the dog.

Call a trainer

(Real Story)
A woman had a raw steak defrosting on her kitchen counter. She left for work, but when she returned home that evening, she discovered her dog had eaten the steak. She took the paper that the steak had been on and brought it over for her dog to sniff. Then she said, "bad dog!" and smacked him.

What do you think about this, and how would you have handled it? What did he actually get punished for?

You notice that your dog never listens to you. He doesn't respond when you call his name. He doesn't respond when you call him to you. He doesn't respond when you give him a sit or down command? What are some factors that cause a dog to respond this way?

Can you rest assured that a dog is friendly when he's wagging his tail?

Yes or No.

Anytime a dog backs away when you reach over his head, it means he's been abused?

True or False

Your 3 year old female dog has never been spayed. She has become aggressive toward other dogs. Should you spay her now?

Yes or No. Explain your reasons

Your 3 year old male dog has never been neutered. He has become aggressive toward other dogs. Should you neuter him now?

Yes or No. Explain your reasons.