Archive for the ‘training’ Category
What to do for a dog that chews
This in from Ginger’s family (formerly known as Ani)…
The question:
Ginger (Ani) as a puppy
Ginger’s 7-mos old now, and is doing great — except for one thing.
I know all puppies love to chew, but lately — within the last few weeks, she’s taken to chewing a few odd things, like carpeting, rocks, etc. The carpeting really concerned me, because a few times, she has swallowed pieces. Including the backing. The next morning she would throw it up. (which I’m glad of) the pieces are up to a couple of inches long. But I still fear that pieces can get lodged in her intestines, and cause serious blockage.
I’ve more or less given up on rawhides, because she demolishes them fairly quickly — when they would get to be a few inches long, she would swallow them. (which I don’t think is good either). The rope type toys she chews up and swallows the little pieces of rope.
Do you have any suggestions on what I can give her that will satisfy her chewing desires, yet would be safe if she swallows it???
I haven’t tried one of those huge fat rawhides yet — I was thinking that might be my next option — but thought maybe you could offer some better suggestions.
Hope you had a good summer — can’t believe it’s almost September…
I’d appreciate any advice you can give me….
Take care,
P -
The answer:
Hi P-!
Yes chewing is a big deal for some pups…remember I sort of said that she was kind of mouthy? I think I did but whatever the case, she is needing to chew now. Here’s what I would suggest:
1) Make sure she is getting enough exercise. Often dogs who are really bored and antsy will chew like crazy and chew things that are “bad” for them. She should be getting two walks a day, one of them being a hour long, the second a half hour. That is the MINIMUM I would recommend. Yes it is a lot. Yes. And if you do it, you will see a decrease in her chewing. It is difficult to chew when you are asleep!
2) Make sure she is getting enough mental stimulation. Similar to #1 above, dogs will chew when bored. Even 15 minutes of training a day will suffice. Just run her through her paces each day.
3) Give her something really great to chew. I am a BIG fan of the real beef bones sold at the pet super stores. Make sure it is a beef bone (not lamb or pork) and make sure it is larger than her leg. The kinds with the “meat” sort of dried on it is my dogs favorite. You can also get them from a regular butcher. Just ask what they have and most will be able to meet your needs. You can just give them to her raw or simmer them until they’re cooked. Be aware though, the cooked ones will be more likely to splinter so make sure they are good and thick. The Petco ones are already smoked and ready to go. For about $10 dollars (for two from Amazon), they are the best chew toy we’ve ever gotten. We’ve got some that are over 5 years old that they still love to chew.
So, I would make sure to address all three items and you should be fine. You may also want to consider re-crating her while you are out of the house for the time being. You are right to be worried about her ingesting those sorts of things!
Thanks for the update and let me know how this works out.
-Kristin
Letter from a frustrated dog owner
Here’s an exchange with a person who I’ve been working with recently to get their dog ready to take the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test.
The question:
Kristin,
I’m really frustrated with where we are right now with S’s walking. As long as there are no distractions, he does fairly well. It’s something we could continue to work with. But if there are distractions, it all goes out the window. Last night he saw a squirrel within the first 100 yards and from then on he was pulling at the leash the whole time looking for the next squirrel or rabbit. I had been hoping to have a pleasant walk so I didn’t have any treats with me. But it really wouldn’t have mattered. You can get his attention with a “watch”, depending on how far away the distraction is, but as soon as you reward him for it, he’s back to the distraction.I’m really torn. I’d like to not have to be in training mode every time we go for a walk. Plus, to really do it right, I would need a whole bag of treats and would have to eliminate a meal. But if I don’t work with him, then I feel I’m reinforcing negative actions on his part. And my arm gets tired.
Plus I have no idea how you trained your dogs not to pee or poop on walks. It takes him less than a stride to get all four feet planted and he’s almost immovable then. Any ideas?
T-
And my response:
Dear T-
Not being next to you on the walk makes it hard for me to really get what’s going on. Maybe one of these nice late summer days we could do just that…? But, what you have to do is to keep up with the walking. I agree, treats aren’t really the answer. It is sort of about respect in my opinion…he believes his “work” (hunting critters – his job that he’s assigned himself in lieu of anything else to do) is more important than anything you have to tell him. So, somehow, we’ve got to get across that we have a different job in mind for him, a better one. But until he gets this, really understands this on his doggy level, he just doesn’t see the point in not doing it.
So, sometimes a harsher correction tool can help – a prong/pinch collar helps communicate in no uncertain terms that his behavior isn’t appreciated. The correction makes sense to him and is aversive enough (without being cruel) to get through to him that you want him to stop. Other options include giving him another job while on walks. That’s where a good back pack comes in handy. I recommend dog back packs from RuffWear. They make packs that I’ve seen and used and are acceptable. Fill the pack with up to 20% of S’s body weight and then go for the walk. It is amazing how this can change a dog. Plus, it’s hard to pee with a pack on.
So, try those things. However, your comment about not wanting to be in training mode with each walk is also a clue that you are losing your patience. I hope you come to accept that you kind of do need to always be in training mode when out with your dog. The training gets easier with time, but you can never just check out. It’s sort of like parenting – you’re always on, no matter how old they get. The older they get, the easier and less intensive the work is, but you still are the dad, always. So, try to find a place of acceptance with that fact. So, try to find a place of acceptance with that fact. This doesn’t mean that you have to tolerate a sore arm and a disrespectful dog, but you do have to continue training him his whole life.
Let me know if this helps.
-Kristin
Update from Boomer’s family
Boomer
Hi Kristin!
Here is a photo from last weekend of Boomer smiling on our bed! He smiles all the time, now. He is doing great and has reached a number of milestones! He has passed the six month age mark, the fifty pound mark and graduated in awesome fashion from his first round of puppy classes!! He is now on week four of “Puppy II” classes and doing fabulously! Everyone wants to know what breed this beautiful dog is! I say I don’t know. Everyone is fascinated and charmed with his big ears. : ) They look like Shepherd ears but I am guessing he also has some cattle dog somewhere in his genetic make up. Thank you for saving him and getting him to us. He is a treasure.
Best, Kathy
Kathy, thanks so much for the photo and update! I love his look!! He looks a lot like my dog Bella who we also think is some sort of Shepherd/Cattle dog mix. He is a lucky dude to have such dedicated pet owners. It makes me smile to see him so happy. Thanks for giving him such a great life!
-Kristin
Snickers and Moonlight have moved on
I haven’t written in a long long while. SORRY folks! It has been a bit crazy over here but now I have time to breathe and guess what, the puppies are gone. Snickers and Moonlight turned into such well mannered and happy little guys, thanks to my son’s hard work playing with them. They also left knowing how to walk on a leash, sit and down and even roll over! I don’t usually have time to train my puppies, they leave when they are still babies. So this was extra fun for me. I had some moments of worry that I wasn’t doing right by them – not giving them enough love and attention, but that passed as I saw them growing into such well behaved little dogs. The families that have taken them home have a great start. I hope their lives are wonderful. Bye bye little guys.
What to do about dog barking
A question comes in on problem barking:
Q: Any suggestion as to how we can work with our dog when she is sitting in our yard, and barking at others who walk pass our house?
A: Barking is self-reinforcing. That means you don’t have to do anything for the behavior to become a habit. That is why bark collars (the citronella and static shock kind) work – they give a negative correction when the bark happens, breaking the habit. But, before deciding on one of those, I like to try to train the dog to “quiet” on command. To do so, you have find a way to encourage them to bark, and name it a command name (like “speak” or “defend”). When you say that command word, knock on the wall or do what it takes to get the dog to bark. Then, after they bark 3 or 4 times, say, “QUIET” and “Watch!” As they turn toward you, give a treat. So you begin to associate “quiet” with a treat. The other thing you can try is to tell her to “leave it” as she is barking and call her to “come“. Once she is next to you, treat her and bring her inside.
Really, most dogs will bark and that is ok – it just becomes a problem when we have no off switch or if the barking becomes excessive – as can be the case for a dog who isn’t getting enough exercise or stimulation. You have to assess the situation and see what applies to you.
10 Party Tips for Dog Owners
With the holiday season upon us, I’ve had many questions about what to do with “rowdy” dogs during a party. Here are my top ten pieces of advice:
1. Feed the dog prior to the party starting and then make sure you take them out to potty after about 15 minutes. If they don’t produce for you, then make sure you make a note for yourself to try again in another 5 minutes. Nothing worse than a potty accident right at the start of the party.
2. WALK them as long as you can as close to the start of the party as possible. Make this a controlled walk, dog at your side, you determine the pace and the direction. Try for a 45 minute walk but no less than 30 minutes. More is better.
3. Advise guests to completely ignore the dog when they arrive and not to pet, look at or talk to the dog until you give the go ahead. Prepare for this to be the hardest thing to accomplish! Only let guests say hello to the dog once the dog is settled nicely. Expect this to take awhile – likely a good 45 minutes into the party.
4. Keep the dog on leash during the party. There is no reason to let a young or out of control dog have free reign of the house during the party. Keeping them on leash and nearby is far better than isolating them to their crate or a back room. This will only cause barking or possible distructive behavior. Dogs are social like us, they deserve to be wtih the group.
5. Work the obedience skills – especially down/stay. Have treats ready and practice these two commands while you take a break and sit down. If you can’t take a break from the action then …
Dealing with dog dominance issues
The Problem
Hi Kristin,
As always, I think of you when I have a dog behavior question. I really value your advice.
As a reminder, I have S- (almost 3 years old), Th- (1.5 years +) and B- (1 + years). All male dogs and they have been neutered.
When I place an object of decent size (like a garbage bag not a gardening shovel) in the backyard, inevitably B- and S- will urinate on it. Usually within minutes of it’s arrival. Th- doesn’t usually partake in this activity. In the last two days, I have found urine in the house. On the sides of furniture, on an exercise ball (this was new to the room) and on a new piece of exercise equipment. Because it’s not puddles on the floor (it’s more like sprays on the sides of furniture and a few carpet accidents….I don’t think it is a dog with a urinary tract infection…..I could be wrong. When they have had accidents in the past they are always in the same exact place…not where I found them in the past two days. Now, I haven’t caught any of the dogs in the act. However, when this happened yesterday Th- wasn’t in the room so I know yesterday it wasn’t him. I can’t think of anything that has changed.
Any ideas????
-L
My Response
(more…)
Aggressive behavior issue
The Problem:
Kristin -
We’ve been working on the exercises from class but have discovered an off-leash problem. Two days ago A- took our dog to the dog park for the first time. It was empty and he was enjoying the freedom to run since our yard is not fenced in. However when A- tossed him a tennis ball he brought it back and dropped it and lunged at her. He kept grabbing at her arm and gnawing it. She struggled for several minutes to get him off, but he kept lunging for the arm. She ended up with several bad bruises and a few scrapes. Our dog went back later that night and only had issues when a toy was removed form his mouth and he wanted it back.
The next day E- took him to the park to see if this behavior was the same. This time there were other dogs and people. He was doing fine for 20 minutes, but then he ran back to a girl who had previously pet him and proceeded to lunge at her arms.
This behavior is frightening to us as we have lots of little kids in our family and this lunging/biting/gnawing is unacceptable. He is fine on the leash, though on occasion he has turned around and jumped on E- a few times. He is mouthy at home, but we have been discouraging that with “Leave it” or removing ourselves from the situation. When he lays on his back and we pet him he likes pawing at the air and trying to nip our hands.
We’re not sure if his behavior is real aggression or just exuberance. But we would like to know how we can diagnose the problem and if it is something we can work on.
-A- & E-
My Reply:
A- and E-,
You are correct in being alarmed…any “exuberance” should not cause harm to a human or their clothing. But it is unclear if it is “aggression”. This is difficult to diagnose over email and having only met you and your dog in a large class. But I would be happy to do a more thorough evaluation for you if you’d like. I do in home work through the Water Bowl (formerly the GenevaRuffners). There is a list of training I offer through there.
