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We are stronger together than we are alone!

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kinglear1quoteKing Lear is a fictitious King of England, whose decisions greatly alter his life and the lives of those around him. His jealousy over his daughters caused a chain reaction of events that sent him through a journey of hell. As this Shakespearean play opens, one can almost immediately see that Lear begins to make mistakes..

In our Dogs world, think of King Lear as your dog jealous of humans, whose behavior will alter his relationship of the family he loves and of the responses of the humans around him.  Unlike King Lear, who had no one powerful enough to help change the bad behaviors; you as a human leader must teach your dog how to respond in a positive manner and you as an owner must not abdicate your right and duty to help your dog from over reacting.  Our human lives are always in a flux of change, which can be very unsettling to our Bostons, Especially if the change means the arrival of a baby to the family. 

 

If you are having a baby, get the dog prepared by having baby prbabyintotodog1oducts in the house early so he gets used to the new smells. Some even suggest playing music with the sounds a new baby makes, before the baby is in the house. It will be stressful enough having a new baby in the household without having your faithful companion getting jealous of the sudden changes in routines. If your dog sleeps with you in the bed, you will need to think how having a new baby will affect him also.
A dog can become jealous if your attention that once went to him is now directed toward something else, whether it be another dog, new baby or new relationship. Your dog should still get individual attention from you so he doesn't feel excluded.


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Dogs are comforted by routines that are familiar to them, so a regular walking and feeding schedule can help alleviate the stress of any new additions to the home that can cause jealousy. If the dog is kept active, he will have less energy for jealous or aggressive behavior.


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A new date should be introduced in a calm and friendly manner and the new person can give the dog a treat so the dog associates the new person with a positive experience.

 

 

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Meetings with a new child must always be supervised and the dog can be leashed initially if you are concerned about response.


Jealous behavior in dogs sometimes shows up unexpectedly. The dog may over react, one common case is when the dog has had the bed with just one human and suddenly there is two. 

Some trainers suggest that the dog should be given a targeted spot beside the bed and condition the dog to sleep off the bed. Every time she gets on the bed, make her get off. If she won't do it on her own, get up and take her off by her collar. Have her go to her bed and make sure to give her a treat and lots of praise when she's in her bed. 

You may have these kinds of troubles, because she may be challenging the second human because she thinks of the second human as an equal. In the dog world challenging the other dog to leave would be normal. So you will need to educate her that she is not equal to humans.  Positive reinforcement only, even when correcting. This helps her learn you are on the same level as your husband. If you haven't taught her how to sit or lay down and stay, this would also be a good command for her to learn. 

You are teaching her she is not the one in control. Taking her for walks is a good way to establish yourself as her leader. Teach her to walk beside you.

 

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