Adult dogs that bite often do so because they need to lash out at whatever s causing them to feel anxious. Dogs with this problem have usually either been abused or are naturally very timid and shy dogs.
With care and patience, most adult dogs can be successfully trained not to bite. Punishing a dog that bites because of fear is not a good idea, as the punishment only increases his fear. This can create a vicious cycle where the dog becomes increasingly anxious and just lashes out more and more.
The bad news is that in the case of an abused dog, (and it is easy to adopt a dog with a history of being abused from a shelter) that it can take months or even years of rehabilitation for him not to lash out and bite at things that trigger his anxiety. In this case, all you can do is take note of what triggers the dog’s fear and what makes him anxious and try to steer him away from those situations. An example is the dog that was beaten with belt. The dog may freak out or lash and bite at people when he sees them reaching to undo their pants or clothing or when he sees them opening a closet as he is afraid he is going to be beaten.

If he has specific fears, then try gradually reintroducing the object or situation that brought on the fear. For example if he is scared of people then utilize some dog loving friends to approach your leashed dog without attempting to touch him. Once his confidence has built up you can increase the amount of time that he is exposed to different people and start physical contact. Using a muzzle is a good idea if you are unsure of how your dog might react in a certain situation and especially if that situation involves children.

Adult dogs have stronger jaws and stronger teeth, so biting and nipping is often a much more serious situation with them. Not only can an adult dog cause another creature or human a terrible injury, it is also harder for them to break the habit.

An adult dog that bites is usually an aggressive dog. An adult dog usually bites because they are displaying fear based, dominance, protective or territorial aggressive behavior.

The main causes of biting and nipping in adult dogs are fear, anxiety, memories of abuse, teasing from children, jealousy, possessiveness, pain and illness.

If your dog is a severe fear biter than you may need to take him to see a certified professional animal behaviorist to try and modify his behavior. He or she may be able to delve deeper into your dog’s individual psyche and help retrain your dog’s behavior. It is imperative that a biting problem is dealt with immediately as the consequences of having your dog, say, bite a child could well lead to a criminal conviction for you an euthanasia for your dog.

So what is better for your dog – homemade dog food or the stuff that you get in cans. Certainly the canned kind of dog food is more convenient but is it the healthiest for your pet.

The problem is that you can’t always be sure exactly what is in canned dog food. This is because according to the Federal Drug Administration itself there is no requirement that pet food products must have approval. The FDA only requires that the ingredients be truthfully labeled and that the food not contain any ingredients that are “deleterious” to the animal. However that word “deleterious” can be defined many different ways. The dog food manufacturer is the one who decided what kind of additives; animal body parts or fillers are bad for a dog to eat. This of course is a conflict of interest because the manufacturer is always going to say that it is cheapest ingredients that are good for your pet. This is why you will find all kinds of dog foods out on the mark with cellulose-based fillers in them, which could affect a canine digestive system in a negative way or cause obesity.

Like it or not, a dog is a carnivore. However many people that are fans of home made dog food insist that it is all about making them vegetarian meals. This is not fair to your dog that does not have the teeth or digestive juices to handle this type of diet. By making your dog a homemade mash of vegetables instead of giving him canned dog food or fresh meat you are putting him or her at severe risk of anemia.

However there is another school of cooking when it comes to making home made dog food and that is that your dog is healthier if you cook the meat yourself and serve it to him. This of course makes a great deal of sense.

The benefits of homemade dog food are better control over your dog’s diet in general. You can control the amount of protein and fat he eats and unless you are shaking MSG in it you can be assured there are no additives in the food. If you fry the food you can actually drain the fat like you would for a human. There is also no risk of food poisoning due to a sabotage of manufacturing processes

To keep your dog healthy serving up your own home made dog food might be a great idea especially if you want to have more control over what your pet eats. You could purchase specialty meats such as rabbit or other types of game at a pet food store or you could go the much cheaper route and by ordinary hamburger or other types of meat in a supermarket. The benefits to making your own home made dog food are that you are never blindsided by the sight of your dog being sick or getting too fat possibly as the result of what he or she is eating.

Choosing a new pet so that your other pet will have some company while you are at work is a fantastic idea. Just keep in mind that your costs of owning a pet will be double – including food and veterinarian bills.

Of course it is important to choose dogs that are peaceful and make easy friends with other dogs. It would be a bad idea to combine a Yorkshire Terrier with a Rottweiller for example, as the Rottie may perceive it as food. You are much better off to pair that Yorkie with a Dachshund who is very sociable with other animals. However just because an animal is small does not mean it is more sociable. Jack Russell Terriers have been known to kill other pets simply because they are jealous of the attention they are getting from the owner.

There are some dogs that are hard wired to see smaller furry creatures such as cats as prey

Watchdogs and guard dogs do not necessarily make the best pets. For one thing, the instincts that make them such good guardians are the same ones that compel them to attack strangers or even a member of your family who may accidentally come too close to you.

The best guardians are usually the dogs that qualify as alpha dogs. They respond well to training but untrained they can attack loved ones and strangers, make a shambles of your house and yard and incur lawsuits for noise, injuries and damage to other people’s property.

Guard dogs and watchdogs usually comprise the larger breeds such as German shepherds, Bull Mastiffs and Akitas. This means that they can easily overpower a small animal or child. Most of them also tend to shed quite heavily and do not make great house residents.

Some smaller dogs such as Maltese, Daschunds and Yorkshire Terriers do make keen watchdogs but they are not really capable of defending you in case of an attack. In fact some little watchdogs, such as the Pomeranian are more likely to sound the alert and then make friends with the intruder.

The key is to choose the dog according to what you need as security. As a rule of thumb the larger and more “alpha” the dog is the better he will be at protecting your person and your property. The smaller the dog the more likely he is to sound the alert not only when real threats appear but also when he perceives just about anyone approaching you or your yard. Some animal owners find this tendency for small dogs to bark at the drop of a hat to be very irritating (and so do the neighbors.)

Owning a pet requires self-discipline and responsibility. Unfortunately many people adopt athletic larger dogs that need plenty of exercise and then drop the dog’s walking schedule as easily as they do the latest fad diet. If you are going to adopt a dog of a breed that requires plenty of exercise then make sure you are ready to commit to walking it at least three times a day for the span of its entire life.

Different breeds do better in different living situations and that is why you need to vigilante when it comes to knowing a bit about dog breed behavior before you bring a new one home. For instance you do not want to cage up a Whippet in a 500 square foot apartment. You also don’t want to make your dashed with its long sensitive spine walk up a 50 stair grand staircase each day. It is a bad idea to bring a yappy Jack Russell into a condo full of senior citizens. A Chihuahua could get crushed underfoot in you need to match the breed to the living space

If you live in an apartment. then you need a smaller quiet dog that does not smell, can be left alone without barking and that needs a moderate amount of exercise. Breeds that fit the bill are Affenpinschers, American Water Spaniels, Bedlington Terrier, Bichon Frise, Brussels Griffon, Cairn Terrier, Cardigan Corgi, Cesky Terrier, Chinese Shar Pei, Coton de Tulear, Daschund, Dandie Dinmont Terrier English Bull Dog, Miniature Poodle, Papillon, Pug, Shi Tzu

If you live in a condo then you can accommodate any of the dog breeds listed for living in an apartment and add a few of the slightly larger quieter breeds such as the Dogue De Bordeaux, Italian Greyhound, Norwegian Lundhehund and Standard Poodle to your list of potential pets. Make sure however that there is dog park nearby for these pets to get some exercise in. You should avoid the really noisy dogs as condo associations can be very strict about pets that are disturbing the other condo owners. Make sure you dog is well trained before you move into any kind of community where others can frequently encounter your pet.

If you live in a suburban area you can accommodate any of the dogs listed in the answers to #1 or #2 as well as the American Cocker Spaniel, the Bearded Collie, Bouvier Des Flanders, Briard, Cavalier King Spaniel, Collie, Dachshund, Irish Setter, Irish Terrier. These dog are larger or have more of a need to roam, jump or dig around in a back yard. Once again dog obedience training is a good idea because suburban areas tend to be full of children who might tease your pet or chase it. The last thing you need is a litigation because of a dog bite.

If you live on a farm you can have any dog that is listed in this article as a pet and more. However the more fragile toy breeds such as the Chihuahua, Brussels Griffon, Japanese Chin, Papillion and Yorkshire Terrier may be too fragile to withstand a lot of action. Lapdogs can also become prey to other animals on large farms and in rural areas with coyotes and other predators. Other pets or children that are too enthusiastic can also trample them. The slightly larger dog is happier on a farm. Delicate little chi chis are happiest in someone’s arms.