Posts tagged "DogTraining"

You know those times when you just have to pick up one or two things from the drug store, but it's Saturday, and you just can't be bothered to put on pants? Or maybe you just did a big grocery shopping only to return home to discover that you forgot one item, and it's not like you're going to go all the way back to the store for that one thing.

That's when having a dog like this around would come in real handy. Trained to shop on behalf of his owners, the dog can only carry a bag containing a few small items at a time, but it's enough to eliminate some of those annoying errands that you're too lazy to do yourself.

Our dogs have so much more potential that we usually give them credit for. Start being creative about how you train yours, and you may never have to leave your home again.

Sometimes when my cat is giving herself a bath, and I call her name to get her attention at the right moment, she'll look at me mid-lick and forget to put her tongue back in her mouth. I find this hilarious every time. And though she often leaves her tongue hanging out for several long seconds, all my attempts to photograph it or call it to anyone else's attention have failed; she always manages to retract the tongue at the last second.

This video makes me wish cats were as trainable as dogs, and that I had the apparent patience of this border collie's owner. I wouldn't have to wait for the right tongue-wagging moment to try to snap a picture, only to fail once again. I could get my cat to do it on command. I could show it to all my friends. I could show my folks when we Skype on Sundays. And, as evidenced by this clip, I could upload an awesome video to YouTube and show everyone else in the world too.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has more than 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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Q: We have a Lab/Chow mix who we got from the Humane Society when she was 6 years old. She is 9 years old now. We don'’t know anything about her history before we got her. She is very sweet but extremely stubborn when we attempt to walk her on leash, refusing to move by sitting or pulling back. We can sometimes coax her into it, but other times we need to take her in the car to a field nearby where she usually will walk. We don't think a training class would help because she does not take to other dogs readily. What do you suggest we do to help her enjoy going for a walk?

A: For this interesting case, I may have more questions for you than answers, but I hope they'’ll help you solve this puzzle. However, I do agree that a training class is probably not the best solution for your pup.

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife, Anna, adopted as a puppy in late 2009.

The reasons dogs jump on people is simple -- they want to be face to face with us. It makes sense; heck, if my head naturally sat 18 inches off the ground I would get tired of it, too. But it's also not something you want your dog to do. Even if you don't mind her jumping up on you, it sets a bad precedent for other people. Not everyone is a dog lover, and even those who are can be put off by a 50-pound wiggle worm getting up in their business.

We wrote last year about a woman whom Pippi annoyed after jumping up on her collarbone. You readers wrote in and told us this was unacceptable, and we listened to you. But a full year and a stint in obedience school later, we can't get her to keep four on the floor -- not even close. Our attempts to discipline her against doing this have been entirely unsuccessful. She still tries to jump up on people in the street, and it often takes all of my strength to stop her.

Whether you're ringing in the New Year with a new puppy or starting 2011 with an older pooch, we know you want to make this year the best ever. And to help you out, Victoria Stilwell, host of the Animal Planet show "It's Me or the Dog," has provided 10 terrific tips to ensure a truly happy 2011.

1. Keep training your dog. People think that once their dog is trained, there is no need to carry on. But your dog never stops learning, and training should be reinforced throughout your dog's life.

2. Think dog. Take time to think how your dog perceives the world and use this knowledge to make training easier. For example, a human's dominant sense is vision, whereas your dog's dominant sense is smell, making his experience of the world very different from yours. When you take him for a walk, allow him to smell things as much as possible, as this stimulates your dog mentally and helps to tire him out.

3. Exercise your dog. A tired dog is a happy dog, but make sure that the exercise is appropriate for the breed and age of dog that you have. Exercise releases pleasurable endorphins and is a great stress reliever for both of you.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's columnist addressing questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She's the author of 10 books, including the official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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I recently adopted a 3-year old mixed-breed dog named Sally. When other dogs approach, she will drop to her belly and won't budge. Sometimes she just stays there, and sometimes she springs up right as they're walking by and wants to play. This scares both the dog and it’s owner. What do you recommend?

From the way that you have described Sally's behavior, it sounds as though she is a submissive dog. When other dogs approach, submissive dogs will usually avoid eye contact with the other dog, keep their heads down or simply drop to the ground and lay on their backs with their bellies up.

It’ is as though the submissive dog is signaling to the other dog, “I don't want any trouble. If I lay down and expose my belly, you won'’t think I am trying to threaten you and you won'’t feel the need to fight.”

Just as you described so well with Sally, once the submissive dog knows that everything is okay, she will spring up ready to pounce and play. A relaxed body posture, wiggling, and play bows (where the dog has it’s front paws and head lowered) are indicators that the dog is ready to play.

Here are some suggestions to help Sally gain confidence around other dogs:

1. Organize play dates. Provide plenty of socialization and experience with other dogs. You can do this by inviting canine friends and their owners over for the afternoon.

2. Try controlled interactions on leash. As you take your dog for a walk, carefully observe another dog on leash that is approaching. If the dog is friendly (with a relaxed body posture) allow the owner and dog to approach and meet Sally. Have a happy voice and praise when your dog has appropriate reactions to the other dog. Whatever you do, don’'t baby your submissive dog (e.g., “there, there, you'll be alright).

3. Visit dog parks. To begin with, make sure there are only a few dogs present when you bring Sally to the dog park. One or two dogs would be ideal. If there are canine bullies who intimidate your dog, you should leave. If your dog is extremely fearful, she may not be quite ready for the dog park.

4. Consider agility training. This is fun for both dogs and owners and it is one of the very best confidence building activities for dogs who are submissive.

If your dog is extremely submissive and routine socialization does not help the problem, consider getting behavioral help from an experienced trainer or animal behaviorist. Most likely, you'’ll need to do systematic desensitization where you’'ll start with your dog at a distance and over time, gradually move her closer and closer to other dogs.

Good luck with Sally!

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Do you have an animal behavior question for Dr. Burch? E-mail mary@pawnation.com. If you have questions or concerns about your pet's health, you should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Paw Nation is not staffed to address individual questions about pet health, and we want your pet to stay healthy!

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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My dog, Butch, is a 10-year-old mutt. I never got around to teaching him very many tricks, though he can sit on command. Can I really teach my senior dog new things? I think it would be nice for him to have something fun to try. What would you recommend?

Yes, it's true! You can teach an old dog new tricks.

At the age of 10, Butch will look forward to daily or evening training sessions with you as long as you keep the sessions short, fun, and use plenty of positive reinforcement including praise and small bits of Butch's favorite treat.

Here are three tricks you can teach indoors to beat the summer heat:

Shake Hands
1. Start by having your dog sit.
2. Kneel in front of him.
3. Say, "Shake hands," as you take his paw.
4. As soon as you take the paw, say, "Good shake!" and give the dog a treat.
5. Repeat this process a few times, then say, "Shake hands," and wait to see if the dog lifts his paw on his own. Most dogs will start lifting their paw to shake after a few trials. When the dog does the shake on his own, give him the treat immediately along with enthusiastic praise, "GOOD shake!!"
6. If it looks like your dog isn't getting the hang of lifting his paw to shake, you can very gently push his shoulder. This will push him off balance and he will automatically lift his paw. Take the paw, say, "Good shake!" and give him the reward.

You have a dog you just can't get to behave. Who would you turn to? That seems to be one of the questions raised in a recent Time Magazine article called, "Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance."

The article stirs up a long-running debate among experts in the dog training and behavior world about what is the best way to work with dogs. Many experts have gone on record against Millan's use of dominance techniques -- finger jabs, quick flicks to a dog's flank and forcing a dog onto its back -- to assert control over an aggressive or misbehaving canine. "He's a charming, one-man wrecking ball directed at 40 years of progress in understanding and shaping dog behavior and in developing non-punitive, reward-based training programs." one expert wrote in a 2006 New York Times op-ed piece about Millan. (Millan will be the first person to tell you that he is not a dog trainer, but akin to a "dog psychologist.")

Victoria Stilwell, the British dog trainer and star of Animal Planet's,"It's Me or the Dog," espouses the positive-reinforcement method of dog training, and the liberal use of treats to coach an ill-mannered dog into displaying better behavior. "She uses positivity as a counterpoint to dominance theory and reserves her aggression for the poorly behaving humans," says the article's author, Jeninne Lee-St. John.

Viewers of his popular show, "The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel know that Millan is not averse to using a bag of treats to lure a shy dog out of a kennel, for example. But the main thrust of Millan's techniques is based on dominance theory, in which the dog submits to the human.

Experts quoted in the Time article say that this dominance style is based on an outdated study of wolves. That study suggested that the alpha-male wolf emerged by displaying aggression over other wolves and the idea is that because dogs are descended from wolves, humans need to display alpha behavior (or be the "pack leader," as Millan would say), dominating their pet dogs to get them to behave.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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I just moved from the country to the city and brought Sarah, my 3-year-old dog with me. She is friendly, but sometimes the volume of people and activity alarms her. What particularly concerns me is that we live near a kindergarten, and when children rush up to greet her, it always scares her a little. Sarah's a small, cute 25-pound mixed-breed dog, and she's never bitten anyone nor even seemed inclined, but I want her to feel more comfortable around children.

Life certainly would be easier for dogs if someone had taken the time to teach children how to safely interact with them in a positive way. That would include not rushing or running up to a dog, especially in a group of screaming children, and always asking permission before you pet the dog.

Consider approaching the situation with a two-part strategy. The first step involves guiding the curious children in your new neighborhood on the best way to approach and interact with your dog. The second part is all about helping your dog feel calm and happy in the company of new people. Especially new little people.

Focus on the Children
Although you may feel awkward telling other people's children what to do, as Sarah's owner, you absolutely have the right to give instructions to those interacting with her. Begin by acknowledging the children's parents and make sure they've approved of their kids playing with your dog. Then, with a friendly smile, tell the children not to run, but to please walk up to Sarah quietly and calmly. Show the children how to pet Sarah one at a time under her chin.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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I have a 6-year-old Lab named Charlie. I also have a new man in my life who has a 4-year-old mixed-breed dog (about Charlie's size) named Kathy. The problem is that Kathy and Charlie don't get along. We tried having them meet on neutral ground at the dog park, but they just ignored each other or snapped a little. When I bring Charlie over to my boyfriend's house, Kathy is very territorial, and vice versa. How would you recommend we get these dogs to like each other?

It was a good idea to have Charlie and Kathy meet on neutral ground. Now the goal is to get Kathy to allow Charlie in her house (and, as you say, vice versa). Kathy and Charlie could both benefit from learning some basic skills that can be used to manage their behavior when they are together. The reason being that if you can have Charlie and Kathy respond to specific commands -- even when they are distracted by having the other dog near -- you'll be better able to control their interaction.

Start by teaching Kathy and Charlie to sit on command at home in their respective houses when the other dog is not present. A great way to do this is to make sitting a game. As soon as Charlie's rear touches the floor, give him a treat. Move around to different parts of the home or yard to ensure he will sit anywhere, anytime you give the sit command. Practice this when other dogs (not necessarily Kathy) are present so that you know he really has the behavior down. Have your boyfriend do the same thing with Kathy.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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I have a 3-year-old dachshund who pees every time someone comes to the door. Sometimes she pees when she excited about other things, like something on television. I feed her like clockwork twice a day. We allow her to run in the yard whenever she asks to be let out, so I know that she has plenty of opportunity to pee. Is there something else we should be doing?

The first thing to do, if you haven't already, is have your dog checked by a veterinarian just to make sure there are no medical reasons for the problem. Hopefully the doctor will give the "all clear" and it will be time to address the problem through training.

Your situation seems like a case of adult excitement urination. (Sometimes, puppies will leave a puddle because of excitement or as a sign of submission but they tend to outgrow the behavior.) Remember, your adult dog can't help it when she becomes incontinent in these situations. The reaction is involuntary and it is not really related to learned behaviors such as house training. But there are things you can do:

Build the Dog's Confidence
Add activities that are designed to make her feel unshakable. In short sessions (about five minutes) three or four times a day, teach her to sit, lay down, stay, or do a trick. Reward her with a treat. Eventually, you'll be able to use behaviors such as sit, down and stay to help you manage your dog in new situations, but in the beginning, these are confidence-building games. If you have the time, one of the best activities to give confidence to a shy dog or dog that gets overly excited (and urinates) is agility. Plan some experiences out in the community so that your dog is exposed to many stimuli and is well-socialized.

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009, and the first dog Ben's ever had.

Anna wrote this week's column.

We don't crate Pippi. There, I said it. In my childhood in Alabama, we never crated our dogs. In fact, the only dogs I ever saw cooped up were trained hunting dogs that often lived outside in a pen year-round.

No one seemed to crate in the house, and it didn't seem to make much sense for us to start when Ben and I got Pippi. For one thing, a dog of her size needs a somewhat large crate, and we live in a relatively small apartment. Plus, we have a fairly indestructible kitchen where Pippi can hang out unsupervised, and even a little cave-like anteroom next to the kitchen where she can sleep. The way I see it, skipping the crate gives us all more room to be together when we're playing tug or cooking supper.

Makes sense, no? But where we live, folks are just crazy for crating! They seem to regard it as some kind of canine panacea, claiming it promotes housetraining, combats anxiety and curbs destructive behavior, among other purported virtues. Ben and I have even been scolded for not crating Pippi, as though it were some kind of mistreatment not to lock her down at night.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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This question is about my "granddog," who is a male standard poodle. I adore him and the feeling is mutual. However, to show his affection, he jumps up to greet me, and his 80 pounds makes for a lot of greeting! He often makes me almost lose balance completely, and his paws mark my arms. What can we do without being cruel to curb this behavior?

It does sound like you have a rambunctious pooch on your hands. The reason your grandpup is jumping is because he's eager to see you and meet visitors, and he has been allowed to do this in the past. The great news is that poodles are fast learners, so with some training sessions at home, your granddog should master good manners soon.

I would suggest a training approach that has two main components:

1. Don't Reward the Jumping
The poodle's reward has been having contact and attention from the person on whom he is jumping. Don't give him this pleasure. If he jumps up, simply turn your body away before he can get his paws on you. Walk away if he persists. Don't talk to him and don't look at him. When he is calm, praise and talk to him using a quiet voice. You are teaching him that jumping won't get him the attention he craves.

Anna Westhoff

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009, and the first dog Ben's ever had.

Until recently, Pippi wasn't much for following commands. Sure, whenever there was a steak sizzling on the stove, she would sit, unprompted, and do her best to look cute and well-behaved. But as for "stay," "fetch," "drop," "come," "go to bed," etc.? No dice.

Recently we enrolled Pippi (and ourselves) in basic training sessions at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J., and so far it's been a wild time. Our teacher, Gale, is a real pro, and she won Anna and me over by telling us that Pippi was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. (I'm sure she says that to everyone, but whatever.)

After a pet-free initial meeting, the first class with all of the humans and animals together was chaos. The eight other enrolled dogs made it difficult for Pippi to concentrate, although the two bags of treats we were instructed to bring helped.

Indeed, St. Hubert's employs a "positive reward-based" training philosophy, which means that instead of scolding or slapping her when she does something bad (perish the thought), the idea is to reward her when she does good, be it with treats, encouragement, or anything else she likes. If she does something right at home, for example, we might take her on a walk.

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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I adopted a Jack Russell terrier mix who is now six months old. Her name is Lady, and we'd like to teach her to be a lady. Our problem is that Lady loves to chew on everything. She's even eaten the drywall in my hallway. If shoes do not have bite marks, then they do not live in my house. Is there any advice you can give us that will help us control her wild behavior?

Since she is eating the walls, by now you must be thinking that Miss Lady is part termite. Chewing presents a real problem for owners, because when dogs are frequent chewers (as it sounds like Lady is), the destruction can be very costly to you and potentially harmful to your pet.

Here's what you need to know about chewing: Dogs need to do it. For puppies, it is developmental and it helps with the teething process. For older dogs, chewing helps clean the teeth and can be a way to relax. The trick is to redirect Lady's need to chew away from your furniture and walls (and shoes!) and towards more appropriate toys and treats. Here are two things to try.

1) Discover the Chew Toys She Likes Best
Purchase a variety of toys -- bully sticks, large bones, and other chewable toys -- and place them where Lady can get to them easily. Remember to supervise chewing in the beginning and always replace any non-edible toy if it begins breaking apart. If Lady tears off and swallows anything that isn't edible and digestible for a dog of her size, the result could be a problem such as an intestinal obstruction.

Observe which toys she chooses. Dogs will often have a preferred type of chew toy. Initially, your living room may need to look like a dinosaur dig with bones everywhere, but eventually, you can have just one or two items that are acceptable chewies, and she'll go and find them when she needs to chew.