BANDIT

BANDIT is a beautiful Brittany Spaniel mix, probably just one or two-years-old and he weighs 43-pounds. A kind shelter worker fell in love with him and took him home to foster in order to save him. She tells us he's great with other dogs, kids, and cats, and he's housebroken. BANDIT is very playful, loves toys, and especially loves to play fetch.



UPDATE: Due to a birth defect and subsequent severe trauma to his right front leg, BANDIT's bad leg has recently required amputation. He is recovering well, and we will have updates soon. We have placed three-legged dogs before, and they are having long and happy lives, just like their four-legged companions!

LEWIS

LEWIS is in NH and is an AMAZING, WONDERFUL boy!! He arrived on Saturday, and is settling into his foster home (we took him there ourselves today and fell totally in love!). This fellow loves people (snuggles in for cuddles), quickly becomes a pack member with other dogs, is fine with cats, rides well in the car, and is housebroken!! About four-years-old and 43-pounds, LEWIS will be the perfect companion for some lucky family

LEWIS fully expects to lead this race. Handsome and confident, he is running full-tilt to the finish line.

CORKY

We've rescued a lot of adorable, sweet dogs, but CORKY is right at the top of our "favorites" list! About 7-months-old and 30-pounds, CORKY was adopted as a wee pup and recently returned only because the family is moving! Totally vetted (the vet has suggested she thinks the fuzziness in his coat could be some Keeshond mix!?), he's ready to come to NH. CORKY is housebroken, absolutely loves kids, is okay with cats, and has personality plus!

CORGY is in this race to win. Help him keep in front of the pack by making a contribution! He is racing against Bandit and Lewis to get the most donations.

Debunking the Dominance Myth

By: Laura Chapman, Miss Behavior

For decades, the idea of dominance and dependence on establishing yourself as the alpha by forcing dogs into submission through alpha rolls, choke collars, and other aggressive methods has existed. With this mentality, there is an assumption whenever a dog does something inappropriate, whether pulling on leash, jumping on people, or going through the door first, that the dog is trying to prove his rank. In more recent years, with the emergence of popular television shows focusing on these dog training methods, this theory has erupted into the homes of dogs everywhere and despite the disclaimers and advice to consult a professional, everyone is trying bits and pieces of these methods without looking at the big picture. Let’s look at the definition of dominance.

Dominance is defined as a relationship between individual animals that is established by force/aggression and submission, to determine who has priority access to multiple resources such as food, preferred resting spots, and mates. A dominant-submissive relationship does not exist until one party consistently submits or defers. The problem with the dog-guardian population is that most issues that come up with our companion dogs are not related to priority access of a resource. Jumping on people, pulling on the leash, and running through the door first are not about access to resources but rather about something that has been reinforced in the past or something that the dog has not been taught not to do. Remember that dogs do what works. If you stay in that mindset, you can change a lot of your dog’s behaviors.

Let’s look at leash pulling as an example. Dogs pull on leash because it works. It gets them to where they want to go and it’s usually the fastest way of getting there. We follow. They see another dog and try to pull you all the way there and you follow. What’s the reward? Seeing, sniffing, and maybe playing with the other dog. It’s not about them plotting your demise and trying to be your alpha. It’s about the fact that we have allowed the pulling or not taught them otherwise. For a lot of dogs, pulling also feels good so it’s very self-rewarding. It gives them the exercise they may otherwise not be getting, and dogs are built with a reflex (the opposition reflex) in which they brace or pull against your pressure, the very reason why harnesses often cause more pulling.

Using this mentality, let’s look at jumping on people. Again, they are not plotting their demise and thinking to themselves “ooo, there is a new person coming in the house – watch this, I will jump on her and show her who’s boss!”. No, rather it’s something that has been rewarded in the past so it continues. The dog jumps, the stranger coming in the house inadvertently rewards it but saying “oh, its ok, I don’t mind”, pets the dog or pushes him off (also rewarding), and the cycle continues. And, like pulling on leash, a lot of dogs enjoy jumping.

Remember that age-old adage that aggression begets aggression. Using aggressive tendencies to show your dog who’s boss, such as rolling him on his back, yelling at him, getting in his face, depending on a pinch, choke collar, or e-collar to make your message clear… that’s not good leadership. However, it is a great way to make your dog more frustrated, more fearful, and possibly more aggressive.

Good leadership is clear and consistent. There are clear rules and boundaries. It is non-confrontational. Think about a good boss at work. It’s not the in-your-face type. It’s the type that gives you enough freedom to use your skills and personality as an asset to the company while also giving you those clear and consistent rules and boundaries to follow. Think about a good parent. It’s the same idea. There should be consequences for inappropriate behavior, but the consequences do not need to be physical. The rules should be consistent. You should have fun, and laugh, and play too. Create a positive bond, rather than using intimidation tactics. Work with and not against personality types, accepting your children (whether 2 or 4-legged) for who they are.

Most importantly, if you are having behavior problems with your dogs, consult a professional. Seek help from someone who works on behalf of your dog and teaches you how to find that common ground.

KIDS AND DOGS

CREATING HARMONY AND FRIENDSHIP TO LAST A LIFETIME

What do you picture when you think about kids and dogs? Do you picture a Lassie-like relationship, where the dog watches over the child, keeps him safe, teaches him responsibility, and plays ball until they both collapse and curl up together in exhaustion? Or do you picture a dog who nips at the child’s pants, knocks the child over when he walks in the door, and chews his favorite toys to pieces?

The reality of it is that the majority of households these days are dealing with the latter. While dogs certainly can be a child’s best friend, it often takes a lot of work, patience, consistency, and understanding. Kids can be a dog’s best friend or it’s most feared enemy. In this article, I’m going to tackle some misconceptions about the relationship between kids and dogs, as well as some solutions you can execute at home to start down the road of controlling the chaos and creating a beautiful friendship between both your 2-legged and 4-legged children.

Misconception #1: My dog doesn’t mind my child climbing all over him, riding on his back, and tugging his tail. The truth is, there are many dogs who will tolerate this up to a certain point, but no dog enjoys this. I don’t know many people who love to have their hair pulled, to be poked at incessantly, or climbed all over either. Every dog has a threshold of tolerance and patience, and while some have higher thresholds than others, every dog has his limits. Watch your dog’s body language – lip licking, yawning, avoiding eye contact… those are all signs of stress that most people aren’t aware of. In addition to how your own dog feels about this, children need to be taught that it’s inappropriate to climb all over dogs because while your dog may have a high tolerance for this, your friends dog may not – and this can really set your child up for a bad situation.

Misconception #2: I’m thinking about getting a puppy for my children because I want the puppy to grow up with my children and I want to give my children the experience of raising a puppy. OK, this one isn’t the worst I’ve heard but if you are thinking about adding a dog to your family, I would highly suggest that you consider all options. The truth is, puppies are equivalent to adding another child to your family! If you aren’t ready to raise another child, then I would think twice about adding a puppy to the mix. Puppies need to learn house training, self control, house rules. They need to be watched constantly. They nip and chase and very often bark. They need consistent rules and they need someone to not only tell them what not to do, but they need people to show them what is appropriate. They need to be proactively taught good manners, not something to assume they can just learn over time. The right adult dogs tend to have a lot more self control, they are calmer, more tolerant, and often house trained. Of course, you want to be sure you choose the right adult dog, one who is used to children, is actually house trained, and is properly matched to the dynamics of your family. If you choose the right dog, you will do yourself a big favor of not bringing the equivalent of another infant/toddler into your home and you will save a life in rescuing.

Misconception #3: I already have a dog and am about to give birth. I haven’t done anything special to prepare my dog but I’m sure he will get used to the little one over time. This one is huge and could take up an entire article on it’s own! Bringing a baby into a previously adult-only household is a huge change that your dog will need to cope with. If your dog has any fear issues, reactive issues, jumps, barks often, has no house boundaries – you are setting yourself and your dog up for a potentially dangerous and chaotic situation. Jumping dogs can knock you over or trip you while carrying the baby. Crying is something dogs often don’t tolerate easily, crawling is a new body position, walking toddlers can easily be knocked down, kids who throw toys can be scary for dogs, and I could go on and on. It’s very important that you prepare your dog for the arrival of a baby. There are many resources out there for doing so, a few of which I will list at the end of this article.

A few of the many important things to teach your dog:
Go to Kennel: The dog MUST have a safe place to go and ideally, it should be a place where he doesn’t feel like he always has to watch his back. A bed isn’t ideal as a safe place because it’s not as secure. He needs somewhere where he won’t be bothered by the kids so no, the kids should absolutely not crawl into the crate with the dog!

During meal time, the dog should either be given a stuffed Kong and sent to his crate or be taught to stay out of the dining room/kitchen, living room at that time. Having a dog underfoot where your children are eating very quickly creates a begging dog, a dog who steals food right out of the child’s hands, not to mention a child who knows how to get away with not eating his veggies!

No Jumping: This is a big safety concern when kids are involved so it’s definitely worth teaching yours kids how to react to a jumping dog (walk away or freeze and ignore). If the dog is too worked up to respond appropriately to this, that’s when it’s your job to jump in and remove your dog.

Kids should always be taught not to tease the dog, pull his tail, hit him in frustration, and never approach the dog when he is eating or when he has a bone. If your dog guards objects, it’s imperative that you seek the help of a Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. This is a very dangerous habit for dogs to have when he lives with children.

Because children are unpredictable and often innocently and occasionally forget some of the rules, it’s important that you use management to give your dog a safe place to escape to. Seek the help of a professional right away if you see any dangerous behaviors develop, and stay consistent to both your dogs and your children about the rules of their relationship and the rules of the house.

With the proper management, training and relationship building, a dog truly can be a child’s best friend!

Further resources:
Living with Kids and Dogs Without Losing Your Mind, Colleen Pelar
Dogs and Storks Program: http://www.dogsandstorks.com/
To locate a Certified Trainer and Behavior Specialist near you… www.apdt.com

PARENTING YOUR DOG

by Laura Chapman, Miss Behavior

Have you ever thought of your dog as your 4-legged child? Well, you’re not alone. According to statistics compiled by Petfinder, nine in ten pet owners surveyed say they consider their pet a member of the family and 63% of dog owners said they give their pets presents at Christmas. January is national Dog Training month and with that, I thought it would be appropriate to speak on behalf of your dog.

Our pets are our family – there’s no question about that. And just like your children, your dogs have their own needs too. They need structure. They need guidance. They need consistency. Education, understanding, patience, TLC, rules, boundaries… I could go on and on. Dogs need you to “parent” them, to guide them, to show them what’s acceptable and what isn’t. Unlike human children though, you can’t talk through a problem with them and reason with them. You need to be proactive in their education and show them through body language and verbal markers, what is good and what isn’t.

Like your children, dogs need schooling. They need proper education. Unlike children, dogs don’t generalize knowledge well so they need YOU to go to school with them. You need to bring the knowledge home and continue their education through practice, consistency, and patience! Dogs also need socialization, especially when young. They need to learn how to appropriately interact with others. This doesn’t mean that they should always be part of a free for all – they need your guidance in socialization, especially as they turn into adolescents and tend to make poor choices. Not only do they need the guidance to interact appropriately with their own kind but they need to learn proper interaction with humans too.

Here are some lessons that your dog is expected to learn:

1. Humans don’t want to be pummeled, hugged, or kissed to death. They have personal bubbles. At least get to know them first.

2. Self control will get you far in life. No human wants to go ice, snow, or pavement-skating without the proper equipment.

3. If a human does something you don’t like, your feelings are okay. But don’t bite them. It’s not socially acceptable.

4. You don’t need to love every other dog you meet, but you should learn to tolerate them, especially from a distance.

5. You don’t need to get the last word in. Tell your human that someone’s lurking outside or that you have a visitor but once you’ve gotten your message across, leave it be. Job well done, note the word done.

5. Those 2-legged fast moving, screeching, sometimes stinky sort-of-human-like creatures that often show up at home and get bigger by the day? The same rules apply to them that apply to the life-size humans. Except that you will need to learn to tolerate them sitting on you, stepping on you, riding you, and pulling your tail. I know, it’s very unfair but until humans learn just how unfair it really is, you will be expected to just take it.

6. The jibber-jabber that you see coming from the human mouth? That’s their version of barking. It’s how they communicate. Listen up and learn what they want. I know it doesn’t make much sense but give it a try.

7. If all else fails, show your belly.

As your dog’s parent, you are not expected to know how to teach these lessons. Just like most people aren’t properly equipped to home-school, you probably aren’t properly equipped to know the ins and outs of dog behavior, how to read it, how to properly teach it, or how to problem solve it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And as a final piece of advice, do your research! You have a choice as to where to school your dog. Do you want your “child” getting a slap on the wrist for bad behavior or a gold star for good behavior? Parent your dog.

GOOD DOG INFORMATION ON THE WEB

These sites are recommended by Dr. Sue Haley of Kindness Animal Hospital and board member of Canine Guardians for Life, Inc.

There are thousands of websites which claim to provide information for animal companions to properly care for their non-human family members. And, as the saying goes, you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince. This is true of websites as well. Dr. Haley weeds through lots of websites suggested by her clients and has chosen some great sites that are truly helpful. Keep them handy and pass them on.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/  This is the public section of the veterinary information network (VIN) which is a veterinarian only website sharing cases and information. You can find out lots of info about your pet's health. This Dr. Sue's favorite site!

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp : The good old Merck manual has been around for 50 years. Has basic information on most species of farm and pet animals.

http://www.vetinfo.com/ This is the Ask a Vet site and there is a charge for your questions, which is not recommended. Your money would be better spent one on one with your veterinarian. However there are many good and free articles on the site.

http://www.petplace.com/ This site may require a sign in and although there are  lots of ads, there are also lots of good articles
.
http://www.petconnection.com/  This is the online home of "Good Morning America" resident veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, award-winning pet-care writer Gina Spadafori, and a team of pet-care experts”.

http://www.toothvet.ca/dentalcare.html information on dental care and toothbrushing techniques.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ This is THE place to go for basic information on poisons.

http://www.petloss.com/  and www.pet-loss.net/  are good sites to help deal with pet loss.

http://www.petswelcome.com/  This site provides information on hotels, bed and breakfasts, and inns that welcome people with pets.

http://www.dogfriendly.com/  This site provides suggestions for places you can take your dog. Looking for a dog-friendly beach, restaurant, park, or campground? You can find that kind of information here.

We'll add more websites as we find them and we'll let you know on our newsletter when new websites are added. Remember to visit your veterinarian for any medical issues, but use these sites to educate yourself and to gain some insight into the world of animals. If you find any sites you love, let us know and, after we review them, we may add them to our list of Best Dog Sites on the Web!

MENTAL STIMULATION FOR YOUR DOG

Just because the snow is coming and the weather is getting colder doesn’t mean your dog needs to get any less exercise. While continued walks and romps in the snow are ideal for physical exercise, there are also a lot of ways to mentally tire your dog out inside your home! As is often reported after a group training class, or a private in-home session with clients, the mental work training requires is exhausting for dogs! Dog’s stamina quickly adapts to routine physical exercise but their brains rarely ever adapt in the same way to learning something new.

Here are a few relatively simple ideas:

Try training new behaviors. This will both mentally exhaust your dog and it sure will come in handy in the future! Some both physically and mentally exhausting ideas include: Go to bed, Come when called, and Leave it. Clicker training can also be a really fun way of teaching new behaviors! If you don’t know how to train these, please contact a positive trainer in your area or check out my shortened list of recommended resources at the end of this article.
 
Even more fun than teaching obedience, both for guardian and dog, is teaching tricks. Tricks are exhausting but also more motivating than “commands”. Technically tricks and commands are the same thing, but our attitude towards teaching them and showing them off seems to be different. Some relatively simple examples to try include: Roll over; Touch; Spin; Bow; Dance; High Five/High Ten.


"Find it" games can also be a lot of fun. Start off by having your dog by your side, having a few treats in your hand, toss the treats down to scatter on the floor as you say “find it”. Graduate this to having your dog(s) either do a sit-stay at a distance while you toss the treats down and release them to “find it” or have a helper hold your dog while you toss the treats before telling them to “find it” and releasing them. From there, you can either be sneaky and hide a tasty treat while your dogs are elsewhere, call them in the room and tell them to find it (encouraging them along the say) OR have a helper hold them out of sight and do the same thing. "Find it" games are great because they also use their sense of smell to their advantage! Exhausting!


Meeting new people, places, or other dogs is a great idea to wear out your dog. Socializing can be exhausting (this also holds true for people)! Plus, meeting new people, other dogs, or going to new places really stimulates their mind and increases their social circle (of course, this is assuming you have a dog who enjoys the socializing).


Treat dispensing toys and puzzle toys are great ways to both feed your dog breakfast or dinner and really make them work for it, tiring them out in the process. What I’m talking about here are not so much stuffed kongs, but rather toys that need to be pushed around in a certain way in order to get the food to be pushed out. See my specific recommendations at the end of this article.


Similar to the toys just described, bones and stuffed toys (such as Kongs or marrow bones) are great too. Ice toys are a great alternative, especially for crate time. Ice toys are very simple to make and basically consist of kibble in a Tupperware bowl. Add in a couple of cookies, carrots, globs of peanut butter, safe toys, and/or whatever else you think your dog might enjoy (really get creative here!), then add an inch or two of water (depending on the size of your dog and their motivation to get to the food). Freeze it all overnight and the next day, pop it out and let them have at it! Chewing tends to be very relaxing for a dog so giving them something to really work on for a while can really calm them down and of course keep them mentally and physically busy!


Those are just a few ideas for simple ways to really give your dogs some mental stimulation as well as the slightly harder to come by physical stimulation during the winter months. Please feel free to contact me if you would like specific ideas for how to teach your dogs any of the above behaviors or see the following resources:


YouTube.com – Look up “dog tricks” and you will get all kinds of good ideas!


Books:
101 Dog Tricks: Kyra Sundance
The Culture Clash: Jean Donaldson
Quick Clicks: Mandy Book & Cheryl Smith
Play With Your Dog: Pat Miller


Favorite Treat Dispensing Toys:
Tricky Paw
Bob-A-Lot


Also, please check out my Amazon site for a list of recommended products:
http://astore.amazon.com/missbeha-20

Holiday House Manners

The holidays are quickly approaching and this often means a lot of family get-togethers, cooler weather, crowded shopping malls, and 2 months worth of leftover food!

While this can be an exciting time for families, it can also be stressful if you are among the many others with a less than perfectly well-mannered dog at home. If Thanksgiving at your house brings you fears of grandma getting knocked down when walking in the door, excessive barking at the window, the turkey being stolen off the table, and downright chaos in the form of your four-legged companion, then it’s time to start learning some good management techniques and it’s never too late to start teaching your dog some house manners.

Let’s break it down to the top 2 behavioral issues that most people deal with when it comes to having company over.

Jumping on guests:

Dogs naturally jump when excited. It feels good to them, it releases some energy, and they like to get to our faces. There’s nothing innately wrong with this behavior, and often we send our dogs mixed messages about jumping.

If you walk in the door, and your dog gets excited to see you and jumps up on you, what do you do? Do you pet them and say hello right back? Are you glad that they are so happy to see you? It’s in our nature to seek attention from our dog when we return home from work. Often, people enjoy that there is such a happy, wagging, bundle of fur waiting to greet you the second you walk in the door. So then, why is it not okay for them to greet all your guests in the same way? Because it’s rude, it’s chaotic, it can be dangerous, and most of all – it can be embarrassing for most people. It’s important that you start teaching your dog very consistent rules about what is allowed and what isn’t.

The next thing I’m going to recommend is going to be tough for the above group of people, the people who really want to greet their dog as soon as they walk in the house. You need to walk in and ignore your dog until he settles down. Dogs get very excited at the idea of someone walking through the door because most people have rewarded the behavior. Maybe you haven’t rewarded it in such an obvious way as stated above, but pushing your dog away with your hands is also very rewarding. Talking to them is rewarding. Any attention from you is very rewarding and it’s exactly why they are continuing the behavior.

Regarding guests coming over, the best thing you can do for your overly social dog is have your dog on leash. Break out the treats or a favorite toy. Having a second person to answer the door would be ideal. Make your dog sit before greeting and you or your guest can reward them by tossing treats on the floor. An alternative would be to encourage your dog to take the toy in his mouth and hang on to it. Most dogs who have a toy in their mouth can’t figure out the coordination to jump at the same time. The leash will be your friend here. If your dogs jumps, you can remove him and either step on the leash or back him off and make him sit again. Remain consistent and you will see progress. The worst culprit for rewarding jumping can be that visiting dog-loving houseguest so don’t let them convince you that jumping on them is okay “because they love dogs”. This sends very mixed messages to your dog, so be his advocate and show him what is appropriate. Be proactive, rather than reactive.

Finally, don’t feel like your dog has to be part of the greeting party. Keep an eye out for your guests so they don’t have to knock or ring the doorbell (see my Halloween and Dogs article for information on getting your dog used to the doorbell). Give your dog a yummy bone to chew or a food dispensing toy (ie the Bob-A-Lot or Tricky Paw) while you bring the guests in and then when things are a little less chaotic, you can bring your dog out on leash to greet people. Again, follow the above sit for greeting rules to teach your dog that sitting gets him attention and jumping does not.

Of course, if you have a notorious jumper and frequent guests, consider contacting a qualified positive trainer to help you through this. Get a handle on the problem as soon as you can. It’s never too late to work with this issue but the longer your dog practices the behavior, the longer it will take to break the habit.

Stealing food from the table or guests plates:

Think about this. Your dog eats kibble twice a day every day. Maybe once in a while he gets treats for good behavior. Then he smells the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy on the mashed potatoes… yum. That is far better than kibble! So he either goes straight in for the kill and just takes it right off the table or he’s a little more subtle and works his magic on someone in the hopes that they will kindly share their food. Kids are great targets!

I’m going to jump ahead to the best thing you can teach your dog when the food comes out. He needs to go to his place, his bed, his spot. Whatever you choose to call it is fine. When it’s just you and your household family, you can teach him that every time dinner comes out, he needs to lie on his bed by bringing him there and putting him in a stay. If you are consistent with this, he should learn quickly that no matter how many times he tries to inch his way closer, you are going to send him right back there. Consistency is key here! If he could get away with something yesterday, why not try tomorrow? Of course, if your dog doesn’t know stay, you’ll have to start there. You can also teach your dog to go to his place on his own, but that’s another lesson entirely.

When you have a house full of guests and you are trying to coordinate the big meal, being consistent gets a lot more complicated so I would recommend getting your dog used to a tether (a 3 foot line attached to a heavy piece of furniture or a hook in the wall, with a comfy bed to lay on) or his crate with a really tasty bone, stuffed Kong, or treat-dispensing toy. *Use the crate or a separate room if your dog has ANY guarding issues or if there are children who will walk about to pet him while tethered! My fear here is that the 5 year old child will walk up to pet him while he has his bone and he can’t walk away from him, so he will react in order to protect his feast.

Another thing worth mentioning is that it is VERY important that you give your dog frequent breaks from the crowd of people. Even if you have the worlds most social dog, he can very quickly get over-stimulated and either react negatively to someone or get the zoomies within the house. Downtime in a separate room, the crate, or a walk outside will help lower his arousal a bit. Of course, if he’s going to bark if you put him elsewhere, stuffed Kongs are great for this too.

As a final note, if your dog is on the opposite spectrum of sociability and does not enjoy having guests visit, I would recommend that you either skip this turn of having the family at your house or get your dog used to hanging out in a crate or loose in your bedroom. Then seek the help of a qualified professional!

Recommended products mentioned:
StarMark Bob-A-Lot: Amazon.com
Omega Tricky Paw: Amazon.com
Premier’s Manners Minder: Amazon.com
This device was not mentioned above but it’s a remote treat dispensing toy. It can either dispense treats at automatic intervals or you can push the button from another room. It’s more expensive than other mentioned toys but it can be used for many behaviors. It’s one of my favorite tools!
Dog Tie Down: http://www.hssv.org/docs/behavior/dog_tie_down.pdf

For a quick video showing the joy of treat dispensing toys, visit my YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/missbehaviornh

Please also see my website MissBehaviorTraining.com for upcoming Holiday House Manners classes!

Dogs and Halloween

With October comes the changing leaves, the cooler weather, and the ghosts and goblins of Halloween. You may not be spooked by Halloween, but this can be an extremely stressful night for your dog which can make it pretty chaotic for you. While some of us are lucky to have a dog who happily anticipates the arrival of kids in costume looking for their treats, the majority of us dog guardians are not quite so lucky! With trick-or-treaters come little people who are excited… ringing doorbells, yelling, running, and looking quite different from what your dogs are used to!

If your dog is only moderately stressed out by this chaos, you still have time to teach him that the ringing of the doorbell can result in good treats for him too! Even if you have the world’s friendliest dog, it’s not usually a good idea to let them greet the trick-or-treaters. You never know which costume is likely to set him off, especially for those of us who were lucky enough to have rescued our dogs but without knowing too much about their past. Remember that your dog is counting on you to keep him safe.

Fergie in a kilt

Between now and Halloween, you can teach your dog that the ringing of the doorbell is a cue to run to his bed or crate for a treat. This is taught just like any other cue. You give your dog the auditory cue, guide them to their bed/crate and then reward them for going there. I would recommend starting with the bed/crate close to the door so that it doesn’t take you 5 minutes to get your dog from the door, where he will naturally run to, to his bed. As you practice, you can begin pausing between ringing the doorbell and leading your dog to his bed. If he makes any movement on his own, with less of your assistance, jackpot-reward him! That is, throw him a party, give him lots of praise and keep the treats coming!

It’s okay if you have to lead him for a while, it just means he doesn’t quite get it yet, or maybe he gets himself too worked up from the sound of the doorbell. If this is the case, you may need to take a step back. Use the bell as an auditory cue that you are about to give your dog a treat. Use high value rewards and keep it simple. As soon as the bell rings, you toss your dog a yummy treat. Practice this 5-10 times per session, take breaks, but practice multiple times a day. When you ring the bell and your dog looks at you, you’ve successfully counter-conditioned his response to the bell! Now you can continue with the above training techniques.

If your dog goes off the deep end at the sound of the bell, then it will probably be a much longer process to change his response and it would probably be in his best interest and yours to either give him something yummy to chew on Halloween while you hang out outside waiting for trick-or-treaters, or consider taking him for a car ride while another member of your household is in charge of the ghosts and goblins.

If you do continue with the doorbell training, don’t expect that your dog will calmly hang out on his bed or in his open crate while you answer the door and hand out candy. The purpose of this is to help diffuse his anxiety and overall reaction to the doorbell when the time comes. If you think your dog can handle it, I would suggest giving him a stuffed Kong or tasty rawhide to chew while the Trick-or-Treaters come and go. The other option would be to crate him but toss in some yummy goodness on your way to answer the door each time. Again, if you think this would be too much, don’t hesitate to get your dog out of the house for a few hours. As mentioned above, this could be with a car ride, a visit to a friend’s house without trick-or-treaters, a kennel, or you could simply wait outside so people don’t have to ring the bell.

As a final note, remember to keep your Halloween candy in a safe place. A lot of families leave them in kitchen drawers, on the table, or spread out on the floor while going through it. Please remember that while chocolate is delicious to you, it is extremely toxic to your dog!

Body Language in Your Dog

Dogs have many methods of communication, some of which are obvious and well known, such as growling, tail-tucking, and barking. However, as your dog’s guardians, do you know what Fido is trying to tell you when he yawns? Or how about when you are telling him to do something and he seems to be looking everywhere but directly at you? Or lastly, how about when he shakes his whole body off, as if he is wet when he’s not?

The above examples are all methods of communication either to a person, another dog, or even to himself. Many of these signals are known as calming signals. There are many types of calming signals. Some are meant as distance-increasing, a dog’s way of telling the other party that he needs some space. Some are cut-off cues, your dog’s way of needing a time out. Others are just your dog’s way of coping with minor to moderate to severe stress or competition and these signals often come far sooner than the more obvious growl or bite. As a general rule, these calming signals are meant to do just that. They are meant to calm the situation, the other person/dog, or themselves. Depending on the situation and the environment, these signals become your cue as your dog’s guardian to address what might be stressing them out.

Some of the more common and mild calming signals include:
• Yawning
• Lip licking
• Avoiding eye contact
• *Full body shake off (as if they are shaking off water)
• *Sitting
• Drooling
• Mouthy-ness
• Jumping on you

Some of the more moderate signals include:
• Wrinkled brows
• Dilated pupils
• Wide mouth panting – tends to be shallow or forceful and their mouth is opened wider than usual
• Whining – often anxiety or excitement

Some of the more severe and more well-known signals include:
• Whale eye (eyes bulging, with the white of the eyes exposed)
• Tail tucked
• Body trembling/shivering
• Ears plastered back
• Dog appears to stop breathing
• Crouching or low body posture
• Shrinking away from being touched
• Stiffness

It is very important to consider all these signals in context. If you have food in your hand and your dog is licking his lips, he is probably doing so because of the food and not due to stress. However, if you are allowing your child to hug your dog and he is licking his lips, stiffens up, or stops breathing – this means your dog is NOT comfortable with this full body embrace. These are the signals that come before the growl or the bite but often people are unaware of them.

As a less serious example, if every time you try to take a picture of your dog, he turns his head away from the camera, that is avoidance – not a dog that is purposely trying to keep you from getting a good picture. It means he doesn’t like having his picture taken. Still using that example, that is a good time to teach your dog that if he looks at the camera… right after the snap of the picture, he will get a treat or the ball thrown. Very quickly, your dog will probably create a much more positive association with having a camera pointed at him!

The behaviors above that are marked with an asterisk are the cut-off cues. You will often see these when a dog is interacting with another dog. If he needs a break, he may shake off or sit down. Sitting down leans towards a less-than-comfortable interaction, while the shake-off tends to happen when the dogs just need a moment between play. You may also notice that when one dog shakes off, their playmate does as well!

If you notice these signals in your dog, especially repetitively, consider what is happening in the environment and help your dog out. Either remove your dog or remove the threat, and then start teaching him that what makes him uncomfortable can actually be a good thing! Of course, consult a Dog Behavior professional who uses positive training methods if you feel that you need extra help or if your dog is showing signs of the moderate to severe signals.

Dog Trainer Turid Rugaas coined the term “calming signals” and wrote an excellent book on the topic called On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals. If interested in learning more information on this topic, I would highly recommend picking up a copy.

For more information, please contact Laura Chapman, Miss Behavior
(603) 509-3877 http://www.missbehaviortraining.com/

August 30, 2010

Best Staffordshire Bull Terrier video ever!

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