Normal Physical & Behavioral Characteristics:  Dogs have the best sense of smell of any of the domestic species.  Sniffing is a basic part of their social roles and hierarchal interactions.  They do scent marking with urine and feces and may disperse this sent by scratching the marked area.  Rolling is also involved in scent marking and/or scent acquisition behavior.  Weaning:   8 weeks.  Puberty:  6-18 months.

Dogs communicate by barking  (alerting, attention getting), using various body postures including mounting, tail wagging, signaling with ears, intonation of barks and growls, and facial expressions.

Specific breeds of dogs have been manipulated to specialize in particular behaviors:  tracking, trailing, eyeing, stalking, chasing, parting, attacking, killing, retrieving, inhibition of biting and holding.

SPAY/NEUTER INFO:  Dogs can breed every six months.  The gestation period is 61-63 days. Litter size is 4-5 puppies (mean 4.28).  Dogs are spayed/nuetered usually between seven and eight months.  Many believe that females should be spayed before their first heat.  There are many controversaries regarding this topic so make your decision in consultation  with your veterinarian.

MOST COMMON PROBLEMS:  aggression to people and/or other dogs, excessive barking, destructive behavior (digging, chewing), begging, soiling in the house, jumping up on furniture and/or people, running away, fear of loud noises, disobedience, hyperactive/unruly, stealing food, eating feces.