Hi we have a black labrador called Bonnie she is 8 years old having problem with noise anxiety she was fine till 2 years ago bonfire night and fireworks she shakes drips from the mouth walks from room to room with tail between her legs but after firework night she gets back to her normal self recently we’ve notice if your out with her and a bus lets off its gases or aloud car goes past she starts walking really low tail between the legs and now there are 2 bangs next to where we live off in the distance may be building work and she’s a absolute mess won’t go out for walks won’t have wee s when we are out just pulls to get back home it’s awful to see her like this we’ve tried ignoring it putting music on keeping the house calm nothing work think I’m going to have to take her to the vets for medication which I didn’t want to do but it mustn’t be good for her not going to the toilet cause she’s too scared to go outside this is a dog who would normally knock you on ya back for a walk any ideas much appreciated
Dogs have become closely associated with humans through domestication and have also become sensitive to human communicative signals. Generally, they have a lot of exposure to human speech, especially during play, and are believed to have a good ability to recognize human speech. Two studies investigated the ability of a single dog that was believed to be exceptional in its understanding of language. Both studies revealed the potential for at least some dogs to develop an understanding of a large number of simple commands on the basis of just the sounds emitted by their owners. However the studies suggested that visual cues from the owner may be important for the understanding of more complex spoken commands.[77]
Readers, you can use treats to train and it doesn’t cheapen your relationship. Your dog loves you unconditionally, remember? It isn’t “bribery” any more than using toys, attention, etc. is bribery. I can’t tell you how many times I stepped on my puppy’s toes while he was learning to walk on a leash, and he still loves me. And even if it were, your dog (and you too) deserves the best quality of life you can give him, which means clear expectations and an enriching life, which requires good citizenship. If you have one of those dogs that isn’t food-motivated, you can still use positive reinforcement.
While it’s absolutely important to protect unvaccinated puppies from the dangers of rabies, parvo, and distemper, you shouldn’t keep your puppy locked in a castle tower until he’s five months old. Work with a puppy trainer (like Canis Major) will help you create a plan for safe socialization. You certainly should avoid dog parks - but most puppies will benefit from carefully planned outings to other public spaces during socialization.
Unless you plan to keep your dog outdoors--and few of us do because it's not recommended--you'll need to teach your dog where to eliminate. Therefore, house training (also called housebreaking or potty training) is one of the first things you need to work on with your dog. Crate training can be a very helpful part of the training process. This includes house training as well as many other areas of training:
