Posts tagged "dog behavior"

By Dr. Marty Becker, via Vetstreet

Each morning, our dogs accompany us on our walk to the horse barn. My wife and I have shared our lives with many animals over our long and happy marriage, and our walk always makes me think of the dogs no longer with us, like our much-missed black Labrador, Sirloin.

While we would carry our cups of coffee, Sirloin usually carried a toy, a piece of a tree or something dead in his mouth. Once we got up to the barn, Sirloin would be ready to top off his tummy tank with some canine haute cuisine, diving head first into a fresh pile of horse dung. After cleansing his palate, he would then flop on his back, rolling fervently, as if he had a really bad itch and the horse apples were a bed of nails. Yes, we loved this dog.

SEE ALSO: Why Does My Dog... Eat Poop?

The menu at our Cafe McMutts then, as now, featured dead mice, dead birds, assorted dung and the skeletal remains of various forest animals. These dietary indiscretions might freak out some people, but I've lived on a ranch my whole life, as has Teresa, and we think of them as kind of cute. Or we did, until the day Sirloin went too far in his journey to smell hell.

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.

Fluoxetine is a veterinary drug used to relieve separation anxiety in household dogs. As part of a Paw Nation series providing background about the medical problems your pet may suffer, we spoke to Dr. Butch Schroyer, owner/operator of the Animal Care Clinic in Lexington, Ky., to get some insights about the drug. You should always consult your veterinarian before giving medicine or supplements to your pet.

What is fluoxetine?
Fluoxetine is our Prozac. That's what it boils down to ... doggy Prozac. Fluoxetine is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, or SSRI, which are a group of drugs used in humans to address depression, anxiety disorders, compulsive disorders, and difficulty in managing aggression. In the veterinary world fluoxetine is one of the few drugs approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of separation anxiety in dogs. While many veterinarians use it to treat this type of behavior in both dogs and cats, these are "off-label" uses not formally approved by the FDA.

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: Why does Gus, my 2-year-old German shepherd, bark when the doorbell rings on a television show? We've never even had a doorbell, so it's not like he's expecting someone. Is it just the sound that bugs him?

A: When most dogs bark up a storm upon hearing the doorbell, it's because they're pairing the sound with what happens next. Doorbell rings; stranger appears at door. In behavioral terms, we would say the sound of the doorbell has generalized if the dog also barks when he hears a doorbell on television.

But, in your case, you've told us that you don't have a doorbell and Gus barks when he hears one on television. Has Gus ever been exposed to a doorbell, so that he learned that the sound is a signal strangers might appear?

Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "PETiQuette; Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household" and "Complete Care for Your Aging Dog."

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We adore dogs but why do Max and Fluffy bark at all hours, gnaw the kids' new shoes or (gasp!) hump the pastor's leg?

While aggravating dog habits make owners show their teeth, clueless humans also raise the dog's blood pressure. Here are seven common things you do to make your dog howl.

Misunderstanding His Bark: Dogs use barks to communicate alarm, excitement and boredom -- and owners annoy dogs by ignoring these important warnings.

- Shouting "Shut up!" can increase barks if your dog thinks you're joining the barkathon.
- Ignoring some barks -- squirrel alert! -- could encourage a dog to stay quiet when a burglar drops by.
- Lonely dogs relieve boredom by talking to themselves with barks or howls.

Instead of yelling when your dog sounds off, say "Good bark," so he knows you heard him. That will also reassure him that you plan to address the scary squirrel issue that he so kindly pointed out. You might also try create a three-bark limit before asking him to hush with a treat or toy that keeps his mouth busy and quiet. (Puzzle toys stuffed with treats are particularly good at keeping bored dogs entertained.)

Being Inconsistent With Potty Training: Accidents in the house are common owner complaints, but dogs don't think we play fair. Yelling at your dog to stop midpee or punishing the dog minutes or hours after she's done the dirty deed is confusing. She knows you're unhappy but won't know what to do instead. Particularly confusing is if you do something crazy like rubbing your dog's nose in her mistake.

Anger over potty problems teaches your dog to hide deposits better and avoid "going" in front of you, which makes it even harder to explain proper potty manners. Instead, take your dog to the right spot after meals, naps or playtime, and reward her production so she understands that pooping outside on the street is what you want.

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: Why do my two dogs stand face to face and just bark at each other? It's like these two little ones are having a bark off. What are they thinking?

A: If you can hear me over the barking, I'd say that to speak and understand dog language, you need to listen to the barks and pay close attention to the body language of the dogs.

- Dogs bark when they are excited or want to play. If you watch the body language of your two barkers, do they eventually break away, run and play, do a play bow, or stir up a game? Barking related to play will usually be accompanied with a relaxed body posture and sometimes a wagging tail.

- Barks that are short, insistent yips can mean, "Stop that!"

- If you see a stiff body along with a low-pitched growl, the barking can be a warning sign as in, "Get out of my space!"

- Some dogs have a "look at me!" bark and some barks have the function of getting attention.

In general, canine barking is all about communicating. Listen to the bark and look at the body and behavior of what happens during and right after the barking and you'll soon be speaking fluent dogspeak.

Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household" and "Complete Care for Your Aging Dog."

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People who love dogs want to understand canine communication. But growls mixed with tail wags can be confusing. Though people rely on words, dog talk combines vocalizations, body language and smells. Here are 12 ways canines communicate.

1. Barking is used during play and defense -- and to get attention. Barks signal conflicted feelings -- "I like you, but I'm not sure," or "I want to play, but I shouldn't." Barking also serves as a canine alarm to alert the dog's family of anything unusual -- a sound, trespassing squirrel or your wearing a hat.

2. Whines, whimpers and yelps are nonthreatening communication. These sounds telegraph fear, pain, submission and sometimes frustration. Dogs also whine and whimper to beg attention or treats from humans.

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.

Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household."

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We want dogs to love us, but snarls, growls or (heaven forbid!) bites are dangerous and make it hard to love them back. But dogs aren't evil and you are not a bad owner if you have a growly dog. Forty percent of dogs have growled at their owners at one time or another.

There are many kinds of aggression and, depending on the circumstances, some are normal. It's good to understand that growly dogs believe they have a good reason to aggress, whether owners agree, but it still should be dealt with. Sudden changes in your dog's behavior should be checked by a veterinarian, because aggression can be prompted by pain or health issues. Aggression can be complicated and require professional help, but here's how to recognize five common types and learn how to keep the peace.

1. Play aggression looks scary but dogs tell each other it's just pretend by using gestures like the play bow (butt up, front down). Puppies learn to inhibit bites when they play with other dogs, and owners also can teach limits.

If the mouthing hurts, yelp like another puppy. Whimper and say, "You hurt me." Immediately after you yelp, give the dog a 10-minute time-out -- no mouthing allowed -- to teach him that hard bites end the fun.

It's not just the Westminster Best in Show 2011 winner, who thrives under praise. Paw Nation interviewed more than two dozen Westminster Dog Show handlers, owners and officials and found that every one we spoke with uses positive reinforcement dog training, in which praise is emphasized and bad behavior is mostly ignored.

The biggest name in the dog world right now, Scottish deerhound Hickory, is busy taking in the adoration and good wishes of not just the fans at the Westminster Dog Show but animal lovers all over the world. Fortunately, she's had good training for all the attention from the likes of Martha Stewart and more. She became the champion she is today mostly because of the guidance and positive encouragement of handler Angela Lloyd.

"Praise is the key to get inside a dog's head and heart," says Lloyd, who believes that dogs respond magnificently "if you are going to show them unconditional love."

Lloyd's mother, Gwen Plush says that her daughter has become a champion because she "bonds with the animals she shows. She understands them and they love her." Lloyd, now 31, has been going to dog shows since she was a child and in 1998 earned the Westminster Show's Junior Showmanship title.

What the Westminster Experts Say
Thomas Bradley, the Westminster Dog Show's chairman for the past 10 years, says that "positive reinforcement has been on the rise for quite some time." Bradley says that, as far as he knows, new methods among elite show dog handlers are all based in positive reinforcement.

Make a Game of It - Westminster Junior Showmanship competitor 17-year-old Sarah Broom has shown her champion basset hound, Castle Hill's Never Too Rich CD, nicknamed Nicole, at Westminster for the past two years. Broom learned to train and handle dogs in the 4H Club and says, "It's better to tell your dog what she does right." Broom makes the long hours of training more fun with games and toys. She believes that positive reinforcement is the best way to properly train any dog, show dog or not. She has also trained Nicole to be a companion dog, and together they help at-risk kids read in school programs.

Amy D. Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books, including "Complete Care for Your Aging Cat" and "Complete Care for Your Aging Dog."

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For centuries, people created fanciful stories to explain puzzling animal antics. Many of these myth-understandings about cat and dog behaviors linger on, even though modern veterinary and behavior experts have uncovered scientific explanations for these issues. Here we lay 12 common myths to rest.

Myth 1: Dogs and cats enjoy being hugged. People are by nature touchy-feely creatures. Dogs and cats on the other hand, grab and hold prey, and "hug" during mating or fighting. Pets may enjoy nuzzling and getting affection akin to hugging, or there may be a reason why they should be sensitized to being hugged, but it is good to remember that your pet may also confuse a hug with aggression.

Myth 2: Cats seek out people who hate cats. It can seem that way. A cat lover's admiring stares and "kitty, kitty, kitty" calls can be off-putting. So in a crowded room, a cat often seeks the only person ignoring her. Besides, cat lovers may already smell like strange cats, so she'll be more attracted to the cat-free-zone human.

Myth 3: Dogs that are aggressive are showing dominance. Actually, it is fearful dogs that most often aggress to make a scary situation go away. A top dog rarely aggresses because other dogs accept he's the boss. You do however see pushy dogs learn to use snarls to get their way, or clueless adolescent dogs act up because they've gotten too big for their furry britches and want to challenge the real boss.

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.

Anna wrote this week's column.

We moved -- again! It seems Ben and I -- and our furry family -- just can't sit still for more than 365 consecutive days. So we packed up and moved ourselves from one New Jersey suburb to another, a few miles away, into a larger place with a yard for Pippi.

It's only been a few weeks, but the move brought out some odd behaviors in our dog, and I hope our readers can offer some good advice for handling them.

First, Pippi has taken up the habit of jumping on the living room sofa in order to look out the large front window, especially when one of us is arriving or leaving. We have never allowed her on the sofa before -- and, previously, she heeded us -- so I don't understand why she is suddenly making herself comfortable up there.

Second, our new abode doesn't have a kitchen that can easily sleep Pippi, the way our old place did. So now we let her sleep in Ben's office, a room just across the hall from our bedroom. In the morning Pippi wakes up, sometimes quite early, and whines until I liberate her.

Do you ever wonder just why your German shepherd leans against you so much? Or why your Yorkie chases everything? It might have more to do with your dog's breed history than his personality. Learn more in the gallery below!

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 pug, Charlie, is very friendly with other dogs when he is on a leash, but when we go to the dog run and I let him off the leash, he is interested only in the people, and avoids other dogs. The minute he is back on the leash and we start walking back home, he is friendly again. Why does he do this? It isn't exactly a problem, but I am wondering if he is missing out on the fun of the dog run.

I am glad you recognize that your pug's preference for people rather than other dogs is not a problem. The breed standard actually says that pugs' "reason for living is to be near their people."

There are many dog owners who would change places with you in a second. Their dogs pay more attention to other dogs than they do to the people in the family, and the owners would love to have a people-friendly pet.

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.

Anna wrote this week's column.

We've previously alluded to the difficulties in performing routine grooming and health maintenance on our precious pooch, Pippi. Another thing she loathes is having her nails clipped. While I'm all about the mani-pedi, she wriggles and struggles, sometimes aggressively. Usually, she absolutely refuses to let me hold her paws and get into position to carefully clip them with our little black dog-nail trimmer. Our first, unfortunate trip to the vet didn't go much better, with Pippi panicking during the trimming.

Pippi's dewclaws are intact, and I recently noticed that they were overdue for a clip. But this time around, anticipating an adverse reaction, I tried a new tack. Instead of immediately going to work, I nonchalantly brought the nail clipper to Pippi in the kitchen, and let her see it and smell it. I held it for a while while I did other things. Later, when we were both back in the kitchen, I broke a milkbone into lots of little pieces and then, when I was all set to start the clipping, placed the treat bits on the seat of a kitchen chair.