"He loves to be petted!" ... or does he?!

I just recently posted this picture of my kids rubbing the belly of a dog that belongs to our chiropractor in Grapevine, Texas on my Facebook timeline. (Little plug for the wonderful Dr. Janelle Whitehead at Alpha Wellness Center.)

I captioned the picture on my timeline with this: Our chiropractor has an office greeter. 🙌🏼DOG TRAINING NOTE: Jango came over to us first and “asked” to be pet. We always wait for dogs to initiate interaction!

I had a wonderful past client comment with a fabulous question -- Just for my knowledge, how will they ask? --  Which prompted me to write this post.  It may very well be one of the most important things we teach others, especially children [of all ages]: How to tell if the dog wants to be petted or given attention to.

So, how do we know that dogs actually want to be approached, petted or given attention to?
We learn to read the dog, first and foremost. While most people can read obvious signals that a dog is uncomfortable -- ears back, tail tucked, hiding behind their owner, head lowered -- many people cannot read more subtle signals that will add up to a reaction of some kind if they aren't observed and respected.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Not all dogs like being petted. Yup. Sorry to burst your bubble but it's true. Some may even be fine just hanging out with you or near strangers but this doesn't necessarily equate to them wanting to be petted by you or strangers.
  
• Some dogs like to be near you but aren't into physical interaction. There are some dogs that are friendly and totally fine with humans and hanging out, but they don't like physical touch by others. Some dogs like limited physical touch but not much, or often.
  
• Dogs may have a random schedule of when they like to be petted, and it likely will change often.  Some dogs like being petted at certain times but not others. There is likely no real pattern or schedule here just like you may have a day where you would rather not talk to other people or socialize and other days you're ready to be invited to a party.
  
• Your dog may absolutely love to be petted by you but not strangers.  They may also prefer one person to another in the same household.  In other words, your dog may be picky with whom she prefers petting from.
  
• Some dogs may be totally fine with adults but not children. Children appear, sound and move differently than adults do. This is especially true with crawling babies, toddlers, and younger kids. Due to this fact, some dogs are not keen on some kids being near them let alone being petted by them.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE ABOVE APPLY?

It's important to understand how to read subtle body language and cues given off by dogs when interacting and/or attempting to interact with them. This is critical for you to teach your kids, especially when they see and/or approach a dog they are not familiar with.

VIDEO WITH BREAKDOWN OF CUES/BODY LANGUAGE
Here is an excellent video from Dog Charming based out of Austraila on this topic with many wonderful tips, points and dogs being pet for clarification. I recommend you watch this with your kids and discuss what they show and discuss in the video.

SO, NOW WHAT?!
Now you have a little more knowledge on dog body language and cues to read when and/if a dog wants to be pet or not. Let's understand what to do now when you encounter an unfamiliar dog. For the sake of this blog not becoming much longer, the dogs I am referring to are dogs that have an owner with them or possibly not right by them but near-by. This does not refer to strange dogs on the streets, with no known owner or that is a possible stray.

WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER AN UNFAMILIAR DOG
The first rule is to take a look at the dog's body language ...

• Do you see any signs that the dog does not want to be pet (re-watch the video above if you need to!)?  If yes, then leave the dog alone and continue on. 
• If the dog approaches you and seems to want your affection or attention remember these rules:
• Do not pet a dog over/on top of the dog's head, most dog's do not like this.
• Do not put your hand in a dog's face for it to sniff it. Instead, slowly offer an open palm for them to sniff, hanging your hand low & below the dog's chin-level or off to the side of the dog's body (as opposed to directly in front.)
• After the dog sniffs you may pet it under the chin or on the side of the neck/body.
• When a dog is friendly & clearly likes/wants to be pet be sure you don't allow your kids to hug or kiss the dog, ever. Strange dogs are never to be hugged or kissed by kids (um, or adults!).
• Make your pet-session with a strange dog brief (3-5 seconds). If the dog clearly wants more petting (remember the signs from the video), you may do 3-5 more seconds. Do not linger too long, some dogs do like petting but only briefly.

A GREAT VIDEO TO WATCH WITH KIDS!

This video is brought to you by the great folks at The Family Dog & stopthe77.com.  Great fun for the whole family to watch & learn from this one!

RESOURCES & TIPS  

• Teach yourself and your kids how to read dogs. Now, re-learn doggie body language. Don't forget the subtle signs, there are many of these we often miss.  Reading body language is everything.
• Don't feel bad if you have to walk away from a dog that the owner states is ok when you see otherwise. Sadly, even well-meaning dog owners often don't know the signs their dog is giving off.
• Always read the dog first, don't pet or approach based on the dog owner's suggestions or advice.
• Visit, download and/or purchase some of these wonderful resources:
• The wonderful trainers, programs & also some free resources through The Family Dog & their sister site stopthe77.com
• Colleen Pelar's "Teaching Kids How to Meet a Dog" podcast. This is a downloadable podcast that you can listen to anywhere you have a phone, tablet or computer.  Download podcast here.
• My resources page on my website has a lot of PDF downloads with pictures, illustrations & recommended books too. Please vist that page here.
• Doggone Crazy has some excellent downloads for kids & parents to go over together. You may visit their site here for e-books & flashcards.
• The Vet Behaviour Team also has some of my very favorite downloadable (free) illustrations of various signs of stress in dogs. You can get those here.

IN CONCLUSION

Brush up on your doggie body language skills, go over it with your kids and respect the dog's cues.  A dog will always "tell" you when they want to be petted and when they don't ... so be sure to "listen" when they do no matter what anyone else says.

Stacy Greer

Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior

servicing the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas metroplex

sunshinedog.com
Copyright© 2018. All rights reserved.

Stop puppy biting & nipping for good!

Does your puppy nip or bite at you in some way with those awfully sharp puppy teeth?!  Ouch! They are like shark teeth!  

First, you should know — this is very normal puppy behavior. I get many emails stating their puppy is “aggressive” and usually, it’s just puppy nipping gone a little over the top.  

Puppies use their mouths and teeth because well ... they are puppies.  Puppies aren't technically “teething” until around 16 weeks of age and then it goes on until around 7-8 months of age. This is when those uber sharp teeth start to fall out and they get their adult teeth. While canine teeth are sharp anyway, the adult teeth aren’t quite as sharp.  

WHY DOES MY PUPPY BITE ME?!

There are a few reasons why puppies bite, which can be some or all of the following:

• They are not receiving proper training & outlets for energy.
• They are over-stimulated & need some downtime (explained below)
• They see it as a game (usually unintentionally taught)
• They are young puppies, it’s what they do!

HOW DO I STOP IT?!

First, it’s important to remember that your puppy is a clean slate of nothing. They are sponges and will absorb any and all behaviors whether you are intentionally teaching them or not!  So this is when training becomes vital because you can control your puppy’s 

behaviors with proper training and direction.

Most puppies are over-stimulated/aroused by the time the nipping/biting has gotten out of hand.  On top of that the common reaction to the biting causes it to escalate (whoops!).  So there are several things that I recommend and this will curb it dramatically, if not stop it altogether.

➡ Don’t allow your puppy to become over-stimulated. Free time should be in short bursts when puppies are between 8-16 weeks of age.  Each week you can increase the time they have freedom. By this I mean all time out of a crate or safe area (x-pen set up for puppy) should be short and productive.  

I like to have a puppy out for only 20 minutes at a time in the beginning (8-10 weeks of age, increase that time as puppy gets older).  In those 20 minutes I get a potty break, training session, play session, potty break and then it’s back into the safe place for nap time.  Puppies need lots and lots of sleep!  (For details on what the training session consists of stay tuned).  

When having the puppy actively engaged they cannot be finding ways to bite and chew things that aren’t appropriate.  So after potty break I work on several things — mat work, name recognition, positive interrupter, coming when called —  to start. Then I play in between with a toy — a ball, a tug rope or a puzzle toy for puppy to engage in.  Then back to potty and back to the crate for some downtime.

➡ When puppy does start to nip/bite, if it's gentle nipping, I simply re-direct puppy to an appropriate toy/bone. Stuffed toys rarely do the trick, I usually recommend to redirect to an antler, buffalo horn, bully stick or something else that will keep puppy occupied. The key is that what you redirect to should be able to keep puppy engaged and not have him redirect back to you.  If the latter happens then remove puppy and put him in his safe place for downtime (see next bullet point). Nylabone® makes many great chewables for puppies, you may download my puppy chew toy handout here or chewie works best as they will stay more engaged with one of these instead of redirecting back to you.

➡ If puppy is biting really hard (or they are feisty, spunky & over-aroused), I immediately, gently and quietly, put them away in their crate/safe area. It's important to note that you should not be saying anything but just simply pick up puppy and place him in his safe area/crate. If that isn’t possible I put myself into a room, close door behind me.  With puppies the latter could be a bit disastrous due to chewing and potty, if puppy is really young. So I prefer the first suggestion, re: putting away puppy.  It’s not a punishment and should not be used as one. It’s just putting them away to let them know you will not engage with them when they do this, as well as to put them in downtime as this is usually what is needed. Usually, I leave puppy in downtime until he’s totally relaxed and calm. Sometimes they will pass out and take a nap. So I just leave them until they wake up.

➡ When kids are getting bitten — parents must pro-active & actively be involved. Immediately follow the steps in the above suggestion.  You can also teach your kids to Be A Tree if they are 3+ years of age, sometimes 4+ years is better.  The child literally stands still, doesn’t move, hands to their side and head down facing the floor.  Puppies won’t engage with a tree!

➡ Do not play with puppy using hands, i.e. allowing puppy to chew on hands sometimes yet not at others. This teaches puppy that hands are chew toys and puppy will carry this over to all humans, not just the one doing the play this way. Puppy play should always involve a toy or appropriate chew. 

Puppies are challenging! But they can easily be trained and managed when done properly.  I highly recommend hiring a trainer to come into your home and show you and your family how to properly handle, train and manage your puppy and his antics! It is so beneficial and you’ll learn so much!



UPDATE: I have a video webinar I did on this topic with a schedule of what to do with your puppy to keep biting at a low or non-existent state! Watch my free webinar here.

Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA

Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior, LLC

servicing the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas metroplex

sunshinedog.com

Copyright© 2018. All rights reserved.

Loose Leash Walking: How to stop leash pulling.

Loose Leash Walking (LLW) is where a dog walks with a loose leash, no tension, and is under control without force but by choice. Usually, I prefer the dog walking on the handler’s left but not tightly next to the handler, just with a nice relaxed leash for a leisurely walk.

Many, many, many dog owners would do anything to have a dog that doesn’t pull them down the street when they walk them.

To add to this there are loads of “tools” on the market today to appeal to dog owners. These tools are marketed in such a way that makes a dog owner feel like it will be a magic trick that helps the dog stop pulling. Rarely is this true.  There are tools that definitely help with control and training but there is no tool that will magically train a dog to stop pulling.  The tool that does that is you, the dog owner. 

I won’t lie, if you are using reward-based training to train loose leash walking with your dog you’ll have to put in some work to achieve this.  This is definitely my method of training and I don’t recommend other methods as they have a huge possibility of fallout. I’ll not go into that here, but suffice it to say I don’t use metal, electronic or correction collars to train a dog to stop pulling on the leash (or anything else for that matter).  

By "you'll have to put in some work" I mean you’ll have to commit to working on this daily. I also suggest you don't walk your dog unless you're going to be training him. Set him up to succeed. If he can pull you, he will, and this will set your training back.  So, set a plan and stick to it. I laid out a plan to follow below ... keep reading ... 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) WHY DO DOGS PULL, IS HE TRYING TO BE DOMINANT?! Dogs pull because they can, it’s rewarding (Hey! She keeps going forward, in the same direction even if I pull!), and the behavior becomes rewarded unintentionally.  

A dog that pulls isn’t trying to “be in charge” or any other silly nonsense. It’s just pulling because it’s not been trained to walk next to you when on a leash. It’s just that simple.

2) BUT SHE’S CHOKING ON HER OWN COLLAR, SHOULDN’T SHE STOP PULLING IF SHE’S CHOKING HERSELF?!  Dogs don’t care, really. The walk is rewarding enough that they will continue to move forward unless given a really good reason not to.  So, they won’t teach themselves not to pull even if they are hacking up a lung by pulling against their collar/harness/leash.

3) HE’LL STOP WHEN I JERK HIS COLLAR BUT THEN HE’LL GO BACK TO PULLING. WHY?!  This is why training your dog what to do instead of pull, rather than tell him to stop pulling, is more effective and better in the long run, than using corrections. 

4) SHE WAS WALKING REALLY WELL THEN SHE SAW ANOTHER DOG & WENT NUTS!  This is a bit of another category of loose leash. In short — more training and likely some specialized training is in order here for how to teach your dog to respond when they see distractions/triggers. So, if your dog goes beyond just needing some leash manners, please seek a qualified person to help you with any leash reactivity or over-reactivity to certain triggers.

5) WHAT IF I HAVE TWO DOGS? If you have more than one dog you have to train each dog individually in order to achieve LLW with each of them.  Yes, that's not usually what dog owners want to hear but to achieve the best results, and prevent you from losing your mind, you'll want to do all of the following with each dog you want to teach this to. 

SO, HOW DO I GET MY DOG TO STOP PULLING?! 

1) BUILD ENGAGEMENT & FOCUS. This should start out inside not out on the leash where all the things in the world are for them to see and sniff.  

Start by rewarding your dog (with food) when they look at you. Have them walk next to you, all around your home and when they engage with you, or offer eye contact, reward them. Increase the criteria by then taking the dog outside and doing it there. Namely, in the backyard, then the front yard, then down the street, and so on.  Here is a small video of what I start dogs doing inside the house. — https://youtu.be/xCbABDDcx38 

Also, here is a video on some of the same things in the above video but in under a minute! — https://youtu.be/1bOl7mFsK20

Practice time: 4-5 x day for 2-3 weeks, 2-10 minutes each time.

2) WORK ON LEASH SKILLS WITHOUT A DOG! Yup. You need to learn about leashes, equipment and the like without your dog. Then once you have this down, you can start with your dog.  I made a video going over a few leash tips and a couple of harnesses I like. It’s not extensive, in regards to the different harnesses, but it has some good leash info! — https://youtu.be/l3wuJ-TOQPg 

For more info on more harnesses to choose from read this review of harnesses from The Whole Dog Journal. — http://bit.ly/2t83qGe

Practice time: 1 x a day for 3 consecutive days, get a feel for the leash.

3) WORK ON LEASH SKILLS INSIDE YOUR HOME. Use your engagement exercises and practice them indoors, without distractions. As shown in one of my videos above, this one — https://youtu.be/xCbABDDcx38 — you should do the exercises in this video but with a leash on now.

Practice time: 3 x a day for 2 weeks, 10-15 minutes each time.

4) TAKE IT TO THE STREETS! Now step outside of your home. This might be a driveway or a sidewalk or a breezeway, depending on where you live but don’t go far, esp if your dog is highly distracted.  Start with low-level distractions, work on the engagement exercises above that you’ve now done without a leash indoors and then indoors with a leash.  Now add in a cue to tell your dog he should stick with you. I like to use "Let's go!".  This tells my dog I'm about to walk and she better be walking with me.  I start to walk and on we go. 

5) REWARD THOSE CHECK-INS & GIVE FEEDBACK! I see the most common mistake people make is rewarding too little, not enough and missing moments when to do so.  Feed, feed, feed your dog when they check in with you on a leash. Walking next to you, loose leash and then they turn to look up at you — "YES!" Now, feed, feed, feed that! In between those feedings give verbal feedback. All. The. Time. "Good boy. That's a good boy!"

6) WHAT IF HE PULLS ONCE WE ARE OUTSIDE?! So if your dog does forge ahead, just pivot and do a u-turn in the opposite direction. Wait for Fido to catch up to you on your left side, then reward as he returns to your side. I discuss this in my video above with my Beagle, Charlotte in my kitchen.  You should actually be doing a lot of turns and moving in other directions when working on leash skills. If you stay in a straight line you'll go mad.  This helps teach your dog to turn with you/when you're turning and to stay in tune with you. 

7) REWARD LIKE MAD! (Can't express this one enough.) Take a lot of great food with you. A. LOT. Once I hit the streets, or outdoors, with leash work I take boiled chicken, hot dog pieces, cubes of cheese, etc.  My dog gets some major yummy stuff for paying attention to me when on a leash in distracting environments.  Do not be stingy with the food or rewards. Maybe feed your dog only half, or less, of her normal meal that day and feed a ton when she's working with you.  

Here is a video of me with a Dobie I'm working with at my house for leash work.  Notice how much food I give him, when I reward him. I give him about 5-7 little pieces, one at a time while we are walking and while he's paying attention to me.

8) SLOW & STEADY WINS THE RACE. Take it slow. Make your sessions short and don't go far at first. Actually, I really don't go anywhere. I stick to my little cul-de-sac in front of my house then slowly move past that after the dog has gotten more reliable on a loose leash. I slowly add in goals like: tomorrow we can go 2 houses down, perhaps by the end of the week we can go 4 houses down! 

IN CONCLUSION ... FOR NOW ... Right now this is all I'm going to give you. These are just beginning steps to get your dog to walk nicely on a leash. It all starts to fall into place after you do these things but you have to start here.  For more info on how to proceed with more distractions, what to do when your dog stops paying attention to you on a leash and more troubleshooting when walking your dog ... stay tuned! 

Stacy Greer

Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior, LLC

servicing the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas metroplex

sunshinedog.com

Copyright© 2018. All rights reserved.

🤯 I never give my dog human food!! 🤯

"Oh we never feed him human food!" ... I cannot tell you how often I hear this.  It's kind of an interesting thing to hear, really, if you think about it.  What exactly does it mean when someone says this?  Usually, I hear it in the context of boasting more like "oh my dog doesn't beg because we never feed human food to him, ever, never, ever!" Sometimes I hear it with a statement of disdain if I whip out some pieces of chicken to use when high-value rewards are more beneficial for our training.  Sometimes I hear it in a bragging-type tone when their dog is in good shape as if this is the reason why.  However, there are a few myths surrounding the use of "human food" with regards to giving it to our pet dogs.

Whatever the reason this is stated, I think this phrase should be explored a bit.  Let's go over some things regarding this often heard statement ...

First, "human food" is subjective. I mean what exactly does this constitute? Food only "humans" eat like orange juice, Tootsie Rolls, Doritos, Fruit Loops or Thanksgiving turkey? I mean we wouldn't feed those things to our dogs, right?  But, really, what is "human food"?!  If we want to get into semantics all living animals (including humans) eat the same food, with a variation of some or all of the following: meat, plants, grains, veggies and fruits.  All living creatures eat some or all of those types of foods.  Dog food, while highly processed, has some type of protein in it and plant and/or grains/carbohydrates of some kind, usually rice or sweet potatoes -- which are "human foods", right?!

However, I get it. When people proudly state this to others they aren't really thinking of it in the way that I am.  I understand that they are often saying when they are eating their meal they don't feed it to their dog off of their plate.  I mean, usually, this is what they mean.  By not feeding a dog off of their plate they often feel like this will eliminate things such as: begging behaviors, food snatching and obesity.  I understand the desire to have a dog not beg or grab food or get overweight -- definitely goals most dog owners would love to achieve!

As a note, dogs don't beg because we feed them "human food".  They beg because of the associations they make during certain circumstances. Your dog would beg if you fed him any kind of food or treat or reward to him. The type of food is irrelevant.  What causes begging behaviors is the association your dog makes.  For example, if you feed your dog while you sit at the dinner table and eat your dinner then your dog will learn when mom eats I get food. Therefore, your dog will learn I shall sit next to mom while she eats and wait for food. If I wait long enough she'll give me a few pieces. This is classical conditioning at it's finest.  At the same time, if you sit on your bed and eat your lunch and sometimes feed Fido then your dog will learn to beg when you're sitting on your bed.  It's all the same.  But you could be feeding Saltine crackers or you could be feeding pieces of dog food or pieces of your sandwich.  It's all rewards to the dog. It's all teaching your dog that if/when they beg they will get fed. So, "human food" isn't really the problem.

As for food grabbing or stealing, this is usually just a self-taught behavior and not necessarily prompted by any type of food or treat. It works the same way as the begging -- an association is made and a behavior is born. If your dog steals "human food" from say your countertops then your dog has self-rewarded and learned that the counters produce yummy things. This usually develops into a behavior we label as counter-surfing.  Again, as with begging, the type of food is irrelevant. Heck, some dogs steal pens or paper or even knives and take off with those and find this behavior so rewarding that they learn to counter-surf that way.  

Most often the act of stealing is rewarding enough in itself that the dog will continue to do so.  Therefore, since stealing is self-rewarded so it becomes a pretty challenging habit to break.  I do have a lovely blog post on how to solve counter-surfing here.  Some dogs steal right out of trash cans or even worse -- right out of people's hands!  I see the last behavior commonly with small kids because they are easy targets.  These behaviors can be solved with training but again, "human food" isn't the issue here.

"Human food" as part of a meal or as a meal. 
Honestly, this is the best move you could make for your dog.  "Human food" is a zillion times healthier than highly processed dog food. Without going into full diet discussion, adding some meat, yogurt, fish or eggs to your dog's food is hugely beneficial to your dog.  Healthwise, "human food" is good for your dog depending on what exactly you are using as "human food" to give to your dog as a diet or addition to the diet. Adding any food to your dog's diet can cause obesity if given the wrong amount.  Some foods, of course, are fattier than others, however, obesity is not caused by the type of food alone.  

Overweight dogs, medical issues aside, are overfed plain and simple, usually more dogs fed kibble are overweight than those fed home-prepared (cooked or raw food) diets. So, if "human food" is a cause of concern for your dog's weight then you just need to research a little more on what and how much to feed to benefit your dog.  I do highly recommend the book "Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs" by Lew Olson if you'd like to learn more about canine diets. You may also download my diet handout here.

Now, in relation to training ... "human food" can be highly valuable. Depending on what you're working on and where, high-value foods such as boiled chicken, freeze-dried liver, cheese and hot dogs can be a big help in a training program. I always recommend some type of "human food" for recall training and training in distractions.  Dogs aren't going to come to you off-leash in a park if you are offering Kibbles 'n Bits. Yuck. Fido would rather chase squirrels.  However, give your dog a big incentive like coming to tidbits of chicken and you'll strengthen your dog's recall really quickly!

So, in conclusion, human food isn't the cause of behaviors your dog may be exhibiting and it's not horrible for your dog to eat if you are feeding the right types of food. Also, many human foods are much healthier for your dog than commercial dog food! (You may read my diet handout here.) In training we often recommend using "human foods" for working with high distractions and to get some behaviors more reliable. It can be valuable in training when used at the correct times.  So, "human food" isn't your enemy -- learn to use it wisely!

Stacy Greer

Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior, LLC

servicing the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas metroplex

sunshinedog.com

Copyright© 2018. All rights reserved.

I think he was abused ...

"I think he was abused ..." is one of the most common phrases I hear before or after a dog exhibits a behavior and said dog has been adopted and has an unknown or clear history.  While there are different types of abuse for dogs, most people are referring to physical abuse when they make this statement.

I need to let you in on a secret, most likely your dog wasn't physically abused. You may actually be saying, "ok, but does it really matter?"  Actually, yes, it does.  I find that most dog owners who think their dog was physically abused often excuse their behavior and think that it cannot be changed or think that love alone will make the dog all better. There can be help for dogs that present behavior like this and there should be [from the owner].

First, yes, sometimes abuse is the case. There are definite cases of abuse. I'm not saying this is never the case ... but ... it's not usually the case when I'm seeing dogs that are labeled as such.  

The most common answer to behaviors that dogs exhibit and people associate with physical abuse is anxiety. Dogs that show fear or conflicting behaviors doesn't necessarily mean they have been abused, but rather they have anxiety in some form or another. 

However, many dogs in hoarding situations or other neglect cases were victim to a lack of proper socialization and care during critical developmental stages in their life. This can cause major behavior issues and if genetics are already at play with some anxiety this can really produce a dog that has lots of work ahead with a proper owner that is well-educated.

Anxiety usually goes back to genetics. Genetics play a huge role in behavior. I think we often overlook this incredibly important fact. Many people always take personal blame if they have an anxious dog but more often than not it all goes back to genetics and has no one to blame (which helps no one anyway!)

I like to explain this to people because there is a stigma around their dogs when they think one thing or another is a "reason for" something.  The truth is that we just need to work with the dog. These "she was abused" labels are a huge reason people start to anthropomorphize their dog — put human traits on something that isn't human.  This is where things get muddy with dog behavior ... when we can't see the forest for the trees. 

When people assume their dog was abused they often think this means nothing can be done or that love alone and time will "fix" it.  The truth is that no matter the reason, your dog that shows any signs of anxiety, phobias or fears should seek the evaluation and assistance of a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist. If one is not near you many across the country will do a vet-to-vet consult with your own Veterinarian and you can go from there. 

Most times these cases benefit hugely from behavioral medication so that the dog can live a less anxious and stressful life, alongside a behavior modification plan with a positive trainer to help with counter-conditioning and desensitization protocols. The protocol to help the dog through any of this is the same no matter why the dog is the way that it is.  

I use Classical Conditioning and Desensitization for most cases like this as well as Operant Conditioning.  We basically change the dog's current emotional response to something and make it a different, usually, more appropriate and acceptable response.  This usually means something like a dog that's afraid of a broom is taught that brooms are ok. We pair good things with the sight of the broom, starting at a distance where the broom doesn't cause too much stress. We go at the rate the dog is comfortable working and while we are making steady progress, so as not to see any regression, if possible.  Then it just goes from there. 

If this is similar to something your dog needs help with please locate a trainer near you. Don't just think that your dog will get over it. That's pretty much never the case, if ever, without proper intervention.

                                                                            

Stacy Greer

Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior, LLC

servicing the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas metroplex

sunshinedog.com

Copyright© 2018. All rights reserved.

Boundaries & Freedom

I get a lot of emails about dogs that are destroying things in the home or aren't "listening" or grabbing things while the family eats ... many things that could be solved with some solid boundary-setting and training.

As humans we feel really guilty confining our dogs to a crate or an area away from us, especially when we are home with them.  Actually, most commonly when we are home with them. I often hear: "Why would I have a dog that I can't have out with me at all times, what's the point?!"  My answer: "This isn't forever. But you need to get some major boundaries and training in place before that can happen."

Many households do have dogs that are totally fine being left un-confined and do not get into any trouble.  However, I feel that all dogs should be able to be confined at times, as there may be situations where this is absolutely necessary.  See my blog post "The most important thing to teach Fido" about this specific topic.

Back to boundaries and freedom ... Think of dogs like children. When raising children you cannot allow them to run amuck with no rules or boundaries and then expect them to listen and follow rules, right? I mean why would they? No one ever set any boundaries and suddenly you want compliance?  Likely going to have some backlash from that.  Dogs do the same thing but in different ways, eh-hem, since they are obviously a different species. A dog's lack of putting in boundaries, training and rules might look like destroying your things, grabbing things off counters, running out the front door, not doing what you ask when you ask, barking ... several things show as a result of lack of training and boundary-setting.

When I hear of dogs that "don't listen" or "get into trouble a lot" (get into trash, stealing things, grabbing things off counters, pestering while humans have mealtime, potty troubles, etc.) then I immediately see a common trend. The trend is these dogs have a lack of clear boundaries and little to no training in place (and sadly sometimes the wrong type of training — leash jerks, not teaching alternative behaviors, lots of punishments for poor behavior, etc.). Often this is a dog that isn't crated or confined, management isn't in place and/or the dog is allowed too much freedom with little to no rules along with that ... and to top all that off often they have only be told what not to do, as opposed to trained what to do instead. Read: "No! Get off! Stop jumping!" Trainer brain: "So what has the dog been trained to do instead of jump? What do you want him to do instead so he can make that choice?"

Confinement isn't punishment and isn't intended to be.  This isn't boundary training if it's used as I'm-mad-at-you-and-I-failed-at-management-so-now-you-have-to-be-tossed-into-your-crate!  Boundary training, when done properly, yields great results while also helping your dog learn to be confined and remain calm and relaxed while doing soWe often do follow boundary training with puppies because we know if we let a puppy run around on it's own it will usually potty somewhere or chew something inappropriate.  However, with adult dogs we don't think in this manner as we often assume adult dogs shouldn't be doing these types of behaviors.  Afterall, they are adult dogs! So, we end up getting frustrated and labeling instead of manageing and training. "Fido is so bad! He just steals my socks all the time!"  "Fluffy is about to find a new place to live! I'm so done with her taking my kids toys!"  "Fido is getting on my last nerve with his destructive behavior when I'm gone!" 

The truth is that a lot of problem behaviors can be solved with a simple plan of boundary setting, impulse control exercises and training.

SO WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?

Boundaries — Dog is crated or put in x-pen/safe confinement area when she cannot be supervised/owner is too busy to supervise.

Examples:

• Need to do a thousand things around the house but worried Fido will get into things? Put him in his crate. 
• Need to shower but don't trust Fluffy while you're out of sight for that long? Put her in her confinement area.
• Fido annoyingly bothers you while you eat, or worse, grabs food from your plate! Put him in is crate while you eat.
• Fluffy is destructive when you leave the house, even if just one magazine (or an entire window covering!).  Crate instead!
• Fido is running crazy around the living room and won't settle down, driving you crazy.  Crate him. Give him a "chill out time".  

Boundaries are really a type of management. (Read my blog post on management in dog training here.)  While boundaries don't train your dog to stop doing unwanted behaviors, they prevent them from happening which is actually a huge part of successful training. Every time a dog gets to do an unwanted behavior that behavior is being reinforced. Those behaviors are fun for the dog, therefore, they will do it again (this is the definition of reinforcement and it happens whether we reinforce it or they do it themselves!).

Training — This must go hand-in-hand with boundary setting. If you aren't training and you're only confining your dog to get him out of our hair then you're not really doing much boundary setting.  You're likely frustrated when that's happening and that becomes a slippery slope.

Examples:

• Train Fluffy what to do while you are cooking dinner instead of being a crazy pup jumping or counter-surfing or whatever is going on.  This can alleviate the need to crate her and allow her to hang out, while she makes good choices.   This is where I find mat training to be the best thing ever. Train your dog to lie on a mat while you are busy around the kitchen, eating at the table or making food.
• Train Fido to wait to go out the door by sitting then going out when given permission. This is a great impulse control exercise that helps alleviate door-darting and also has the dog wait to do as asked instead of making choices on his own [that could be dangerous]. 
• Train Fido to make good choices.  This could mean a lot of things. The best course of action is to hire a trainer that comes into your home so that you can address your dog's specific needs.

Training is really a critical part of owning a dog. Sure, I say that because I'm a trainer and would never own an un-trained dog, but .... it's absolutely true. Trained dogs are easier to live with. This doesn't even have to mean advanced level training. Training can involve things as simple as just sitting at the door before going out to coming when called or as advanced as you want to go — like agility, advanced obedience, Canine Good Citizen, therapy dog training, etc.  

Dog training possibilities are endless.  But home manners and basics are a must, in my professional and personal opinion, if you want to live peacefully with your dog.  This includes management and boundary training.

Stacy Greer

Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior, LLC

servicing the Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas metroplex

sunshinedog.com

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