Realestate on eBay:
NICE TWO STOREY HOME IN SMALL TOWN, MINNESOTA *READY TO MOVE IN*
 | ,900.00 End Date: Thursday Aug-2-2012 16:00:27 PDT Buy It Now for only: ,900.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
Frontier Shores Texas. 37 September Street, Bowie TX
 | .00 (0 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jul-5-2012 9:47:30 PDT Buy It Now for only: ,000.00 Buy It Now | Bid now | Add to watch list |
| Travel Tips You Can't Leave Home Without | Eco-Friendly Lawn Care Guidelines | Unknown Simple Methods To Dominate Using Home Business Ideas | Electric Gates | | Carpet cleaners in New Jersey 7When Is It Necessary to | | 9 Tips of Caring of Your Horses | The Diverse Uses Of Rubber Matting
 | .95 End Date: Wednesday Jul-11-2012 6:29:00 PDT Buy It Now for only: .95 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
 | .01 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jul-6-2012 18:52:37 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Pegi Burdick wants women to understand that their financial difficulties are not really about dollars and cents. Instead, they spring from deeper, older problems that today are in conflict with their current behaviors. This conflict is the substance of IT?S NEVER ABOUT THE MONEY?EVEN WHEN IT IS, Ms. Burdick?s new book. It was inspired by research and conversations she?s had with women through her coaching program, The Financial Whisperer.
?How you move through the world and how you feel should be consistent,? explains Burdick. ?When they aren?t, you make poor financial choices and you rationalize negative behaviors.? Despite countless books, coaching programs and support groups seeking to help women manage their money, none provides long-term solutions because they do not uncover the real issues. Ms. Burdick?s book does.
IT?S NEVER ABOUT THE MONEY?EVEN WHEN IT IS asks two basic questions: ?Where are you now?? and ?What?s holding you back?? Each chapter deals with a different part of a woman?s personality and behavior. By providing stories from some of her clients, Ms. Burdick invites readers to identify their own problems and gives them a new way to think about familiar words, such as intimacy and trust. This emotional literacy lays the groundwork for readers to regain control over their lives.
IT?S NEVER ABOUT THE MONEY?EVEN WHEN IT IS retails for $ 13.95. The book is available on Amazon.com and directly from the author at http://www.thefinancialwhisperer.com. The book is endorsed by Susan Piver and Chellie Campbell. Both authors have applauded Burdick?s skills and courage in writing about unspoken cultural taboos and how they connect to one?s finances.
About the Author
After years of working with women in business and as a mortgage broker specializing in home foreclosures, Burdick was inspired to put her knowledge to work as THE FINANCIAL WHISPERER, a concept that seeks to help women separate their emotions from their finances, to understand how and why they confuse love and money, and why they have difficulty demanding what they deserve.
For more information IT?S NEVER ABOUT THE MONEY?EVEN WHEN IT IS, visit http://www.thefinancialwhisperer.com or contact Karie Reynolds at (626) 765.1007 or karie(at)kariereynolds(dot)com.
Oregon Houses For Sale eBay auctions you should keep an eye on:
| 2005 Corvette LS2 400 HP Engine | Affiliate marketing strategies | | VATplus Will Reveal Amateur Vernacular : WeWeOur CompanyOur Staff MembersOur | Picking an Affiliate Web site Builder for Your Affiliate Needs | Cheap Carpets - Tips About The Way To Have A | VATplus Teaches You Beginner Lingo - - WeWeOur CompanyOur Staff | barbour |
The Mortgage Gallery Rockingham, a mortgage broking firm composed of reputable mortgage brokers in Cockburn, Kwinana, Rockingham and the greater Perth area ? has declared that it is enhancing its roster of services in order to help the housing industry rise from a seeming plunge in demand, despite the recent cuts in the banking industry.
This move by the respected mortgage broking company stems from figures provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, showing that the demand for housing for the first three months of the year plunged by 12.6%, which is higher than the last housing demand plunge for the last three months of 2011. Additionally, ABS figures likewise showed that on an annual basis, the demand for new homes has also considerably decreased by 24.5%.
According to industry analysts, this continued decline is very disappointing, considering that rate cuts have already been made by the Reserve Bank of Australia in order to help strengthen the domestic scene and to further help the economy. They also say that this is indicative of extra-cautionary behaviour from prospective home buyers and can be a sign that the housing market still needs some help.
In the figures provided by the ABS, total dwelling units for March was only at 30,623, while new private sector houses were lowered by 7.8% in the same quarter. In addition, other residential buildings for the same period also fell by 21.6% or just at 9,492.
Dwellings for New South Wales and Victoria have likewise declined considerably, with 37.4% and 8.3% respectively. Western Australia also suffered its own decline in dwellings, with 4.8%. On the other hand, Queensland had an increase of 2.5%.
In another side of the story, some industry experts attribute this lowered demand in the housing industry to the new Building Act, a state legislation that has caused confusion among real estate developers and authorities ? and which have resulted to some other problems as well.
John Dastlik, Director of the Housing Industry Association WA, said that there is the need to institute reforms in order to resolve the issues quickly and to help the industry. Otherwise, it may lead to long-term negative effects. He said, "Sales in the new home market are actually increasing, [but] we've got a piece of legislation which has slowed the approvals process."
Dastlik then added, "If you continue to have very slow processes... that can have an impact on people's decision on whether they go new or established. So in the medium- to long-term, if these sorts of issues expand the time on which to get building permits and people have to rent longer, they might make the easier decision [to buy an established home].?
In response to the issues hounding the housing market, The Mortgage Gallery Rockingham has decided to enter into the fray by bringing faster transactions and more reasonable home loans in Cockburn and Kwinana, as well as Rockingham home loans and those for the greater Perth area ? with the promise of making their services even better.
The Mortgage Gallery Rockingham can be reached through phone number (08) 9527 1800 or drop by their website: http://www.themortgagegalleryrockingham.com.au/.
Check out these Portland Houses images:
Portland House, Glacis Road, Gibraltar
Image by Lancastrian
Another block of flats. The approximately 30,000-strong population of Gibraltar are thrown into small, very expensive properties like these ones. So the price of a small flat here can buy you a large house in much of the UK.
Portland House, Glacis Road, Gibraltar
Image by Lancastrian
Another block of flats. The approximately 30,000-strong population of Gibraltar are thrown into small, very expensive properties like these ones. So the price of a small flat here can buy you a large house in much of the UK.
Portland House
Image by Joe Dunckley
Source of that haircut.
In a 2006 National Association of Realtors survey, only 7% of sellers sell their homes without a licensed broker. Owners attempting to sell their own homes, also known as FSBOs (For Sale by Owners), will have many tasks to accomplish with which they may not be familiar. The valuation of the property is just the beginning; timing, marketing, preparing the home, negotiations, and so many other things are hurdles the owner must research and tackle to be successful.
Benefits
First and foremost, when an owner sells the home the realtor commission fees are nonexistent. These fees can add up to 6% of the selling price of the home; this amounts to $ 12,000 on a $ 200,000 house. Another benefit is the vested interest the owner has in the sale of the home. It is often the case that realtors work to secure a quick sell without so much worry about the price or conditions on the contract. The owner can set their own schedule for showings and can openly negotiate with a potential buyer without the hassle of sending paperwork back and forth.
Multiple Listing Service
The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a national marketing tool that all licensed agents use to share listings and match buyers. Previously, sellers not using an agent had no access to the MLS. Now FSBOs can list their home on the MLS using one of many websites that offer this fee-based service.
Advertising
There are many new real estate services online that cater specifically to the FSBO market. For a reasonable fee, the property is posted online with photographs and virtual tours. Zillow.com, ForSalebyOwner.com, and homesbyowner.com are just a few such sites. Along with this, open houses, full-color brochures, ads in newspapers and real estate circulars, and personal networking are all advertising tools that can lead to the sale of a home.
Challenges
The owner that hopes to sell a home without the help of a broker will face more work than he or she might think. In order to price the home correctly, the owner must research recent sales and home prices in the area. The owner must also know the state laws and regulations of fair housing, home disclosure, sales contracts, and sales negotiations. Financing can also be a confusing category, so the owner should know how to tackle this subject with a buyer.
Warnings
Buyer's agents are often reluctant to work with owners trying to sell their own homes, even if the home is listed in the MLS. Also, buyers tend to submit lower offers to FSBO homes because they know the owner is saving money on sales commissions. The National Association of Realtors reports that the majority of owners attempting to sell their own home eventually hire a realtor, mostly because buyers typically use agents.
Kristie Lorette is a freelance writer and marketing consultant that specializes in personal finance. She is also the editor of The Mortgage & Credit Diva, a blog devoted to mortgage and personal finance tips, tricks, and advice for consumers. You can read Kristie's blog at http://www.mortgageandcreditdiva.blogspot.com or learn more about her writing and marketing services at http://www.studiokwriting.com.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristie_L._Lorette
Check out these For Sale By Owner images:
for sale by owner
Image by Images_of_Money
Property for sale by owner
For Sale by Owner
Image by laudu
Driving by this home, I do a double take...Do you think they're trying to sell it?
Answer by
Corel Paintshop Photo Pro X3 Video Tutorials Step By Step Training
Corel Paintshop Photo Pro X3 Video Tutorials Teaches You From Beginner To Advanced Photo Editing Tips, Tricks And Techniques.
Corel Paintshop Photo Pro X3 Video Tutorials Step By Step Training
At age 35, Paul Angelo, Miami's gay life coach and a gay matchmaker has still 95 years to live. Given his lean physique and a healthy lifestyle since a young age, Angelo is confident that living 130 years is possible.
"My father used to always tell me: your health is the most important thing in life. And since I was a young kid, being conscious of my body and my behaviors has led me to look and feel great every day without any health problems. I have never been drunk, don't smoke and treat my body with respect. And I know I can sustain that for the next 95 years." says Angelo.
Angelo arrived in Chicago from Poland in 1995 and has lived in the U.S. since then. Angelo's education started with DePaul university in Chicago as a finance major and expanded into two masters degrees, MHA and MBA. Angelo's professional career involved working as a personal trainer, computer programmer, day-trader, manager and recently as a gay life coach and a gay matchmaker, teaching gay men how to start relationships and live a high-performance gay life.
"I believe that if you treat your body right, your body will serve you and give back to you" says Angelo. To live another 95 years, Angelo's strategy is to always be on the cutting edge of knowledge about nutrition, exercise and physiology.
Angelo uses fasting - sometimes twice a week to eliminate addictions to foods and drinks containing caffeine and sugars. In terms of exercise, Angelo goes for long walks daily, mostly in the morning. During times of intense stress and high-performance work Angelo walks twice a day - early in the morning and before going to bed.
"Because I walk more than 360 times a year, I was chased by dogs, run away from raccoons, was thrown soft drinks at by teenagers, I was mugged, got soaked by rain countless of times and have gone through lots of shoes. But it is all worth it - I feel amazing every day and all my negativity is recycled into the earth every time I walk. And now I can afford to live in a safe place and no longer worry about being mugged." says Angelo.
Angelo's secret to the longevity mindset is meditation. "When I meditate I am airing out all the stresses and resentments that accumulate in my life. I can think clearer and my creativity and resourcefulness go through the roof. Without meditation I could not be able to handle all responsibilities and requirements of high-performance life." says Angelo.
Angelo's devotion to meditation started when he met with Ina Lee from Fort Lauderdale who has been offering free meditations to the public. Anyone can experience Ina's meditations by visiting her website at http://www.MeditateWithIna.com or by visiting her Wednesday sessions in Fort Lauderdale. "I have meditated to a lot of CD's but not one can compare to what Ina has to offer. Everyone should visit her sessions." says Angelo.
"Today we know so much more about nutrition and exercise than 10 years ago. We know today that running for more than 5 minutes is bad for you, coffee drains your body of nutrients, sleeping less than 7 hours damages your brain and weight-lifting at a gym causes injury. One does not need to be an expert to go for a walk, join a meditation group, get organic food and find some friends to spend time with. Anyone can live 130 years if he chooses so." says Angelo.
Angelo's teachings are gaining popularity in the U.S. and internationally. His practice now encompasses 10 different countries. Angelo's gay matchmaking service focuses on knowledge and learning as a way to meet high quality partners and falling in love. Angelo also offers high-performance group coaching for gay men over 40 who want to lose weight and achieve professional success faster than conventional methods.
To learn more about Angelo's services one can visit his website at http://www.PaulAngelo.com
Buy tickets
Also available at the PCPA Box Office, by phone 800-745-3000, and at Ticketmaster outlets.
The original Fab Four from Down Under are back! The Wiggles summer tour will reunite Anthony, Jeff and Murray with Yellow Wiggle Greg Page as they perform together again for the first time in five years. This is also the last tour that will feature the original four Wiggles together. Come “Follow the Leader” and play the “Sporting Salsa” with The Wiggles, Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog and all the Wiggly Dancers when they are "Getting Strong" in a city near you!
The Wiggles are strong advocates for a healthy lifestyle and are excited to bring this positive message, on the importance of fitness and exercise for all ages, to 30 cities across the United States this summer. Stops will include: Dallas, TX; Long Island, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and Atlanta, GA. The Wiggles are also proud to announce that they will visit Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL on August 5th for a special performance following the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles game!
Come and wiggle in the aisles for Celebration! The Wiggles! Live in Concert. The Wiggles are excited to bring their highly interactive, fun and educational message throughout The United States. Audience participation features include:
Children can have even more wiggly fun while they wait for the show by visiting www.WiggleTime.com, The Wiggles’ very own virtual world created specifically for preschoolers and their parents. Parents can monitor their child’s progress and have access to premium promotional offers, contests, merchandise discounts and presale Wiggles tickets! You can also follow the gang on Twitter via Twitter.com/ItsWiggleTime or become a fan of the group’s official Facebook page Facebook.com/TheWiggles.
The Wiggles are proud to announce that the U.S. school readiness initiative Reach Out and Read will be the official charity partner of their 2012 Tour. Reach Out and Read prepares America’s youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to “prescribe” books and encourage families to read together. Together, Reach Out and Read and The Wiggles will work to raise awareness about the importance of parental involvement and reading aloud to young children. Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses serve more than 3.9 million children and their families annually at 4,779 pediatric practices, hospitals, clinics and health centers in all 50 states. Parents who participate in the research-proven program read to their children more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and a six-month developmental edge. A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will be used to support Reach Out and Read Programs across the United States.
About The Wiggles
The Wiggles, the world’s #1 preschool entertainers, performed over 350 shows to more than 1.5 million fans since 2005 in the United States alone. The Wiggles perform over 200 shows annually across four continents. The Wiggles are seen on TV in over 120 countries worldwide. Fans can catch The Wiggles on television exclusively in the U.S. on 24-hour preschool network Sprout as hosts of Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle, which airs every weekday morning from 6:00 – 9:00 a.m. ET. Beginning July 7, 2012, fans can also watch The Wiggles on NBC’s new Saturday morning preschool block, NBC Kids. The Wiggles have sold more than 23 million DVDs and videos, 7 million CDs and 8 million books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. You can also follow the gang on Twitter via Twitter.com/ItsWiggleTime or become a fan of their official Facebook page Facebook.com/TheWiggles.
www.thewiggles.com
About Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based, national nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness by giving new books to children and critical advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud at regular pediatric checkups. The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Along with the free book for every child, doctors and nurses also provide guidance to the parents about the importance of reading aloud with their children every day. The research proves that families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge over their peers. Nationwide, Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses serve more than 3.9 million children and their families annually at 4,779 pediatric practices, hospitals, clinics, and health centers in all 50 states. To learn more, visit www.reachoutandread.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/reachoutandread and follow us on Twitter @reachoutandread.
Ticket prices: .25, .25, .55 & .00 at the PCPA Box Office (includes service charges)
.00 - .50 plus service charges at outlets, by phone and online.
Answer by
Easy Build Dog House Plans
The Only Dog House Product On CB. High Amount Of Low Competition SEO And PPC Traffic.
Easy Build Dog House Plans
Potty Train Your Puppy With Litter Box - House Training Dogs Indoors
Both Ebook And Online Video Versions That Show Step By Step Training Progression To Potty Train Dogs With A Litter Box Indoors. Only Video Product Of Its Kind In Market. Had Successful Sales Under Previous CB Account. Great Addition For Pet Sites.
Potty Train Your Puppy With Litter Box - House Training Dogs Indoors
| Search Engine Optimization for Beginners | A Home Business Can Be Rewarding | Purchase Costa Rica VacationThe Costa Rica Vacation Travel Guide Tells | Going On A Vacation Does Not Have To Be Expensive | VATplus Will Teach You New Varieties Of Expressions - - | promotional products | Home Gym Equipment - The Alternatives | Excellent Faith Deposit - Actual Estate Transactions | how to take pictures
Dogs and puppies can pass germs, diseases and worms on to people, but it does not occur often. There are certain precautions that you can take to help prevent this from happening. First and foremost, make sure that the dog or puppy you are playing with looks healthy. Do not touch or contact an obviously sick dog. Make sure that your personal dog has regular check ups and is checked for worms by your veterinarian. Look for obvious signs of disease such as spots missing fur on your dog. Hot spots or places that your dog keeps chewing or biting at can be another sign of infection.
One of the best lines of defense from getting sick from contact with a dog is to wash your hands well, especially with anti-bacterial soap. After dog or puppy contact, keep your hands away from your face, especially your mouth. Do not eat finger foods after dog contact until you can wash. Do not let your dog lick you on your face. Try not to have contact with dog saliva, urine or dog feces.
Dogs and puppies can carry a fair variety of bacteria, parasites, fungus and worms. Some of these are fairly common in dogs and others are quite rare. Some people are more likely than others to catch these diseases. Some of the factors associated with catching the diseases depend upon the persons age and status of their health. People who are more likely to get diseases from dogs include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer.
The following diseases may be carried by dogs:
Brucella canis Infection (brucellosis): A bacterial disease rarely associated with dogs.
Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A bacterial disease associated with dogs, cats, and farm animals. If your dog has diarrhea, you may want to consult with your veterinarian, as this disease may be the culprit and it is passable to humans. If you develop symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and/or nausea, contact your physician. Be sure to inform him or her of your pet and if it is ill.
Cryptosporidium (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic disease associated with dogs, especially puppies, cats, and farm animals. Animals can carry this parasite in their feces and pass it to people. Animals do not have to be ill to pass Cryptosporidium to humans, they may just carry the disease. This disease usually causes a mild to severe infection of the gastrointestinal system, including watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic disease associated with dogs, cats and fleas. Fleas carry the tapeworm and the dog must swallow the flea (which may easily happen during grooming) to allow the tapeworms to hatch and grown in the dog. For a person to become infected with Dipylidium, or tapeworm, he or she must accidentally swallow an infected flea. Most reported cases involve children. The risk of infection with this tapeworm in humans is low.
Giardia Infection (giardiasis): A parasitic disease associated with various animals, including dogs and their environment (including water). The Giardia parasite lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals. Millions of germs can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. Giardia is found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with the feces from infected humans or animals.
Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease associated with dogs and cats and their environment. Puppies and kittens are especially likely to have hookworm infections. Animals that are infected pass hookworm eggs in their stools. The eggs can hatch into larvae, and both eggs and larvae may be found in dirt where animals have been. Eggs or larvae can get into your body when you accidentally eat or have direct contact with contaminated dirt. For example, this can happen if a child is walking barefoot or playing in an area where dogs or cats have been.
Leishmania Infection (leishaniasis): A parasitic disease associated with dogs and sand flies outside the United States.
Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial disease associated with wild and domestic animals, including dogs. In people, the symptoms are often like the flu, but sometimes leptospirosis can develop into a more severe, life-threatening illness with infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung, and heart.
Lyme Disease: A bacterial disease that can affect dogs and ticks. People get Lyme disease when they are bitten by ticks carrying B. burgdorferi, and this is in certain parts of the country.
Q Fever (Coxiella burnettii): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with dogs, but more often associated with sheep, cattle and goats, especially their birth products.
Rabies: A viral disease associated with various animals, including dogs. This is fairly rare in the US.
Ringworm: A fungal disease associated with dogs. Ringworm is transmitted from direct contact with an infected animal's skin or hair. Dogs and cats, especially kittens or puppies, can have ringworm that can be passed to people.
Mitch Endick is a short article writer, editor and website developer for the popular pet site petpages.com.
www.petpages.com is a pet information site with free pet ads, dog classifieds, and puppy for sale info Petpages.com also offeres information on cats, fish, reptiles, birds, ferrets, rabbits, mice and even pet bugs.
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food, Hi Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Venison, 30-Pound Bag
Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy Dry Food, Chicken and Rice Recipe, 30-Pound Bag
Pedigree Healthy Start Original Chicken Flavor Dry Food for Puppies, 16.3-Pound Bag
Organix Organix Puppy Dry Dog Food, 14.5-PoundSome recent Dog Trails auctions on eBay:
No Pets On Trail No Dog Allowed Reflective Parking Sign
 | US .00 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 12:14:03 PST Buy It Now for only: US .00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1960 Friskies Dog Food Hot on the Trail of Friskies Ad
 | US .00 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 17:24:41 PST Buy It Now for only: US .00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
PureBites Trail Mix Freeze-Dried Treats for Dogs 1.55 oz
 | US .32 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 18:37:40 PST Buy It Now for only: US .32 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Pet Gear Happy Trails Dog Stroller Up to 30 lbs
 | US 4.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 22:28:22 PST Buy It Now for only: US 4.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Guarding is an instinctual behavior for dogs. It is useful to us when they warn strangers who intrude on their (and our) territory. One of the earliest benefits dog provided to man was to serve as an early warning intruder alert system.
Territoriality is, simply stated, guarding space. It is the dog?s way of saying ?this space has value and it belongs to me and my pack.? In fact, dogs guard all sorts of things, some tangible, such as food, others intangible such as space.
When they guard these items from outsiders it can be helpful. I leave my home knowing my dog will be alert to an inappropriate intrusion. Dogs also guard tangibles and intangibles from one another. You shouldn?t expect to see a submissive dog take a bone or scrap from the alpha or dominant dog. Should he try, he?ll face a swift correction. But that?s rarely necessary because in the structure of the dog pack, it is clearly understood who is entitled to what and when.
But what happens when that clear understanding is lacking between a dog and members of his human pack? The results can be a disaster?a dog who guards something against his very owners.
In this article we?ll concentrate on space guarding behaviors. In the dog pack, if the dominant dog wants to walk from point A to point B, he will do it even if he has to nudge a lesser dog out of his way. If the more submissive dog protests, what he is actually doing is challenging the authority of his leader by trying to guard the space he occupies.
The same event may transpire in our homes. Your dog helps himself to a place on the sofa. You either sit down next to him, or try to take his collar to pull him off. Your own dog growls or snaps at you. He?s guarding space. Moreover, he?s stating in dog language that he believes he is dominant to you.
You need to open a cabinet and the dog is blocking your way. You take his collar to move him, and he growls or bites. The same thing may occur when you want to push the dog out a door, pass him in a narrow hallway, or get too close to him laying in his favorite spot.
In many households, the human occupants do not realize that their dog is guarding space until the dog becomes completely out of control. In fact, we excuse the behavior. That?s because too often people apply human standards to canine behavior. Among our species it is impolite to pull someone out of a chair or shoulder them aside when you need something. So if the dog growls when you sit by him on the couch, many people wrongly think the dog is just being grumpy, or that he was too comfortable to be disturbed.
I have actually seen adults chastise children for being ?impolite? to a dog for sitting next to him on furniture, or for wanting to remove the dog from their place. People subconsciously try to accept these problems as ?quirks? of the dog. Many owners try to just work around the issue by not disturbing the dog under whatever circumstance causes the dog to guard.
Unfortunately, this sends precisely the wrong message to the dog. Humoring him confirms that he is dominant, and is, therefore, entitled to guard more and more space. That?s why guarding behavior escalates for many dogs. Often, I hear from owners who?s dog began to growl at them under very limited conditions, say when being pulled off the sofa. But eventually the behavior escalates to the point where the dog growls when they even get near him on the sofa.
The owner thinks the dog is getting worse. The dog simply thinks he?s getting stronger. For some dogs, dominance is a self-rewarding behavior. You want to remove him from the couch. He growls. You back off. The behavior works. So eventually he growls when you even look at him on the couch. ?They just don?t seem to get it,? the dog is thinking. ?I?ll have to warn them earlier.?
This can become very problematic for some pet owners, particularly those with young children in the house. Kids often don?t realize that they?re not ?supposed to bother the dog.? They just figure they have liberty to safely toddle wherever their little legs will take them. And if you ask me, they should have that right.
Older children must be taught to respect dogs. And younger children must be observed very carefully when they interact with a dog, to be sure they do not accidentally pinch him for example. But no one can expect a two year old child to understand she should avoid Rover when he?s laying on the sofa.
Willy is a three year old German Short Hair Pointer. His owner, Lisa, called me very concerned. Willy had been growling at her baby every time the child approached him in his dog bed. Sometimes Willy would climb on the couch, and he would also growl at the baby on those occasions. Apparently this behavior had been going on for over a month. And just recently, the dog had growled at Lisa when she sat near him on the couch. Lisa was very confused because this entire set of behaviors was only about a month old, but it was getting worse fast.
?Did your baby start walking about a month ago?? I asked her. The answer was yes. That made it all clear to me. Willy always felt Lisa was dominant to him. So he never growled at her before. But when the baby started walking, this impudent little human would intrude on his space, and Willy did believe himself dominant to the baby.
Not understanding the behavior, Lisa had spent an entire month showing Willy how dominant he was by not correcting him and not letting the baby disturb him when he was comfortable. The unintended message to Willy was that he was more dominant than he had originally thought. That?s why he began to guard space from Lisa too.
While not all dogs progress from growling to snapping, or from air snapping to contact biting, that does happen with some dogs. And it?s tragic because it usually doesn?t need to reach that point. Left untreated, most dogs who effectively guard space will eventually scare or hurt their owners enough to be removed from their homes, or be put down.
Willy became a client of the Chicagoland Boarding School for Dogs. In the time he spent with us, we used our Forcefree Method to show him that space was not a resource he should guard from his human family.
We taught Willy a series of exercises using a vibrating training collar delivering a series of low level taps. The vibration, while not at all painful, was attention getting. (Before we put the collar on Willy, we let Lisa feel the the collar on her hand so she understood they were not painful. Lisa described the feeling as a mild tickle.) During the initial phase of training, our goal was to teach Willy that when he felt the taps, he could stop them by altering a behavior.
We started out with leash pulling, showing him that pulling on a tight leash turned on the tapping sensation, and that walking nicely on a loose leash turned them off. Then we went to the sit stay. We showed Willy that getting up when he was supposed to be sitting turned on taps that he could turn off instantly by re-sitting himself.
The reason we didn?t go right to the space guarding issue was simple. We didn?t want to overwhelm the dog by immediately training for the most difficult behavior first. Also the guarding behaviors are very specific to the family. They might be tough to reproduce without his sofa, his baby, and his owner.
But once Willy understood that he could stop collar taps by altering a behavior, we were ready to confront the real issue, the guarding of space. By this point in the training, we had established a bond of trust and affection with Willy. That was critical because now we were teaching him to yield his personal space to us under the pressure of the taps.
In short, by sometimes invading Willy?s personal space, while tapping, we showed him that he could turn off the tapping, as usual, by giving us a desired behavior?in this case, moving out of the way. Starting on leash, we held the dog close to our body, literally turning into him, and tapped as we moved through his space. Using a combination of leash pressure and body movement, we moved Willy out of the way. The second he began to yield his space, the taps stopped.
Willy began to understand very quickly. Space wasn?t worth guarding anymore. In fact, each time we asked him to give up space, he became very willing to do so at once. After all, as far as he knew, any space we asked him for became slightly annoying anyway.
We brought this dog home at the conclusion of our ten day program, reoriented him to his family and his environment, transferred the behavior modification techniques to his owner over the course of two hours. Then we left.
Lisa called two days later. She reported that Willy was leaving his dog bed as soon as the baby approached. We were happy with this report, but Lisa was concerned. She wanted the dog and the baby to be friends and she was worried that the dog was now ?fleeing? from the baby.
We explained that this was progress given that the dog had modified a major behavior and was now yielding space, rather than guarding it. We advised her to give it some more time to see if the dog would eventually find pleasure in sharing space, time and bonding with the baby in his new submissive role. We did warn Lisa that not all dogs bond with all people, but that it was still a distinct possibility.
Two weeks later Lisa called again, and she was very happy. She found Willy and the baby curled up together in the dog?s bed. Apparently, Willy had calmed down enough to realize that while he was no longer able to guard space, there was a wonderful pleasure in sharing it.
Trust is something that grows over time, and with experience. Every day that passes as Willy continues to show the right reaction is one more day in which the trust between he and his family grows. Willy has been home for several months now, and all the reports are good news.
Here is a dog who was at severe risk for re-homing and possibly might have injured a child, curled up in bed with his little master.
Marc Goldberg, CDT is a certified dog trainer specializing in the rehabilitation of difficult dogs and improving relationships. He is President of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) and Editor of SafeHands Journal. The author also educates professional dog trainers in his techniques. Visit him on the web at http://www.trainingdogsinchicago.com or http://www.chicagodogtrainer.com.
A few nice Healthy Puppy images I found:
Ruby's puppies
Image by doc(q)man
A few weeks ago Ruby, a Maltese Lion (is that the name of the race in English?), owned by friends of ours, gave birth to five healthy young puppies. I've been taking some pictures of them. This one was taken some 20 hours after the birth. Note the little ribbons around their necks. The pink one is (of course) the only female in the bunch, aptly called Rose...
"Tank" the mini Husky puppy
Image by Scott Kinmartin
My dog Kaia had four healthy puppies. She is 21 lbs. and the father is 45 lbs. I'm thinking the puppies will be a happy medium size dog....BUT this one is the biggest of them all! HIS temporary name has been "TANK". (Update: His name is still TANK and he's definitely the biggest of the litter).
[Explore #264]
There are various environmental sounds that cause a dog to become afraid or frightened. It doesn't matter whether the animal is living in a crowded metropolitan city or a spacious rural town; the chance of inclement weather causing physical and/or mental distress is high. A dog's fears of noise and light are big concerns for pet owners, but there are ways to decrease your dog's fear of lightning and thunder.
Dog owners worry that a dog will become frightened during a thunderstorm. This fear results from the appearance and sound of lightning and thunder. Dogs have an instinctual fear of loud noises and flashing light. When two clouds are separated by a lightning bolt, then re-merge, a flash of light and sustained, loud 'rumble' occur. Upon seeing the flash, dogs are alerted, knowing that the sharp 'crack' of thunder will follow and scare them.
When animals become fearful, their immediate reaction is physical. Dogs that fear lightning and/or thunder may react with destructive behavior. Upon hearing thunder in a thunderstorm, a dog may run frantically around the house or yard, or search for a safe place to hide. This behavior is intensified and prolonged when the animal has been left alone during inclement weather. A related, physical reaction to lightning or thunder is the animal's desire to escape. A dog might try to leave their house or yard in the hope of finding an area where there are no frightening sights or sounds. Pet owners need to understand that, when there is lightning or a thunderstorm, their dog might escape from the yard and get lost or run into traffic.
A pet owner's fears can be alleviated when they become proactive with their pets. Helping a dog prepare for lightning or thunder can reduce or eliminate fear and prevent the animal's desire to hide or escape. One technique to help a dog cope with lightning or thunder involves refocusing its attention. When inclement weather is developing, the pet owner should be home with the dog. When the dog begins to exhibit audible or physical signs of anxiety, the owner redirects the dog's attention to a distracting activity. This could include sitting or lying next to the owner, being petted, or playing with a favorite toy. Also, a T.V. or radio may cover the sounds of the storm. Closing drapes or blinds is also a good idea. Timing is important with this intervention; the dog must be distracted and re-engaged immediately just prior to or upon experiencing fear of the lightning or thunder. Also, if the owner's attempts at distraction fail initially, the process should be continued. When the dog successfully becomes engaged in a stress-reducing activity, the owner can provide rewards such as dog treats or verbal and physical praise.
David Beart is owner of the Professors House, a site dedicated to family, relationships, dog health, and household issues.
